children s health issues
Atrial and Ventricular Septal Defects
Introduction
Atrial and ventricular septal defects are holes in the walls (septa) that separate the heart into the left and right sides. Holes can be present in the walls of the heart between the upper heart chambers or between the lower heart chambers. Many defects are small, cause no symptoms, and close without treatment. The diagnosis is suspected based on a typical heart murmur (a sound created by turbulent blood flow through narrowed or leaking heart valves or through abnormal heart structures) and is confirmed by echocardiography. Some septal defects that do not shrink on their own must be closed with a plug or other specialized device inserted through a catheter or with surgery. (See also Overview of Heart Defects .) Atrial and ventricular septal defects are among the most common heart birth defects. Atrial septal defects(ASD) are located between the heart's upper chambers (atria), which receive blood from the body. Ventricular septal defects(VSD) are located between the lower chambers (ventricles), which pump blood to the body. These holes typically cause Shunting of blood flow , which means that some blood that has already picked up oxygen from the lungs goes through the hole and back to the lungs. This shunting is inefficient, and the extra blood flow to the lungs can cause symptoms. Some atrial septal defects are actually just a stretched out foramen ovale (normal hole between the upper chambers that is present before birth). Most of these defects ( Normal Fetal Circulation ) close on their own within the first 3 years of life, although they may persist into adulthood. About 25% of adults have a patent foramen ovale. A true hole between the atria (true atrial septal defect) usually does not close. Ventricular septal defects can be located in several different sections of the wall between the lower chambers of the heart. Some have a good chance of closing on their own (for example, those that are called muscular ventricular septal defects) whereas others do not close spontaneously. A septal defect is a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the heart into the left and right sides. Atrial septal defects are located between the heart's upper chambers (atria). Ventricular septal defects are located between the lower chambers (ventricles). In both types, some oxygenated blood, intended for the body, is shortcircuited. It is returned to the lungs rather than pumped to the rest of the body. 