Ventricular Septal Defect Flashcards
What is ventricular septal defect the most common cause of?
Congenital heart disease
What happens to VSD in 50% of cases?
They close spontaneously
What are the 2 types of causes of VSD?
Congenital
Acquired
What congenital conditions is VSD associated with?
Down’s syndrome
Turners Syndrome
What are the acquired causes of VSD?
Post myocardial infarction
When might VSD be detected?
In utero during the 20 week scan
How might VSD present?
failure to thrive
features of heart failure
pan-systolic murmur
Which features of heart failure can VSD present with?
- hepatomegaly
- tachypnoea
- tachycardia
- pallor
When is the pan-systolic murmur louder with VSD?
Louder when the defect is smaller
Where is the murmur with ventricular septal defect heard more prominently?
Left lower sternal border in the third and fourth intercostal spaces
What might you feel on palpation in someone with VSD?
A systolic thrill on palpation.
What other symptoms can VSD present with?
Symptoms of the murmur • Poor feeding • Dyspnoea • Tachypnoea • Failure to thrive
What is the management of small VSD’s which are asymptomatic?
Monitoring- often close spontaneously
What is the management of moderate to large VSD’s?
- nutritional support
- medication for heart failure e.g. diuretics
- surgical closure of the defect- transvenous catheter closure or open heart surgery
What is there an increased risk of developing with VSD?
Infective endocarditis
