What is Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery ?
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), 10 years of experience
What is the meaning of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
A surgical procedure done to treat a ventricular septal defect is known as a ventricular septal defect surgery.
A ventricular septal defect is a hole or defect that occurs in the septum or wall that separates the lower chambers of the heart, known as the right and left ventricles, is known as a ventricular septal defect.
A small ventricular septal defect normally causes no problem, and may even close on its own. However, medium or large ventricular septal defects may require surgical repair to prevent complications later on.
- How does the heart normally function?
- What are the types of Ventricular Septal Defects?
- What are the causes of Ventricular Septal Defect?
- What are the risk factors of Ventricular Septal Defect?
- What are the symptoms of Ventricular Septal Defect?
- How to diagnose Ventricular Septal Defect?
- How to prepare for Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
- What is the procedure of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
- How to care after Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
- What are the complications of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
- How to prevent Ventricular Septal Defect?
- What is the cost of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery in India?
How does the heart normally function?
- The heart consists of four chambers. The upper chambers are known as the right and left atria, and the lower chambers are known as the right and left ventricles.
- The right side of the heart passes blood to the lungs.
- The blood is oxygenated in the lungs and passed on to the left side of the heart.
- This oxygenated blood is then pumped out to the different parts of the body through the aorta (the main artery of the heart).
- In case of a ventricular septal defect, blood passes from the left side of the heart to the right side. The oxygenated blood then gets pumped back into the lungs instead of the rest of the body, causing the heart to work harder.
What are the types of Ventricular Septal Defects?
The different types of ventricular septal defects are:
- Membranous: It is the most common kind of ventricular septal defect and occurs in the upper part of the septum between the right and left ventricles.
- Muscular: This condition is seen when there is a presence of more than one hole.
- Inlet: In this condition, a hole is present just below the mitral valve (present in the left ventricle) and tricuspid valve (present in the right ventricle).
- Conoventricular or outlet: In this condition, a hole is present just before the pulmonary valve (the valve through which the pulmonary artery carries blood to the lungs) in the right ventricle and just before the aortic valve (the valve through which the aorta carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body) in the left ventricle, connecting the two ventricular chambers. ( Know more about- What are the causes of Cardiomyopathy? )
What are the causes of Ventricular Septal Defect?
- The ventricular septal defect is a congenital (present at birth) condition. ( Know more about- What is Pediatric Cardiac Surgery? )
- The condition occurs due to early problems in heart development. However, the cause of this is not clearly known.
- Environmental factors and genetics may play a role in the development of ventricular septal defects.
- Ventricular septal defect can also occur later in life, after a heart attack, or as a complication after certain heart procedures.
What are the risk factors of Ventricular Septal Defect?
Certain factors may increase the risk of developing ventricular septal defect and may include:
- Family history
- Genetic problems like Down syndrome (a disorder that occurs during the development of the fetus causing developmental and intellectual delay)
- Asian race
- Drug abuse during pregnancy
- Tobacco or alcohol consumption during pregnancy
( Know more about- What is Heart Valve Replacement Surgery? )
What are the symptoms of Ventricular Septal Defect?
The symptoms of ventricular septal defect include:
- Poor appetite
- Weakness
- Fatigue ( Know more about- What are Cerebro-vascular diseases? )
- Failure to thrive (slow or no weight gain) in children
- Shortness of breath
- Fast breathing
- Heart murmur (a whooshing sound) heard by a stethoscope
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias)
- Heart failure (inability of the heart to pump sufficient blood to the rest of the body)
- Pulmonary hypertension (increase pressure of blood in the lungs)
- Eisenmenger syndrome (reversal of blood flow through the hole)
- Cyanosis (pale skin or bluish tinge to the lips and skin)
How to diagnose Ventricular Septal Defect?
- Physical examination: The doctor checks for a heart murmur by using a stethoscope. The patient’s symptoms, medical history, and family history are also noted.
- Chest x-ray: This test helps the doctor to view the heart and lungs, and check if the heart is enlarged or if the lungs have extra fluid.
- Echocardiogram: Sound waves are used to obtain the images of the heart in motion. It helps in determining heart problems.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): This test helps in measuring the electrical activity of the heart and diagnosing heart-related problems. ( Know more about- What is Echocardiography? )
- Cardiac catheterization: A thin, flexible tube, known as a catheter, is inserted into a blood vessel at the arm or groin region and guided through the heart blood vessels. This helps the doctor in the diagnosis of congenital heart defects and determination of the function of the heart chambers and valves. ( Know more about- What is Cardiac Catheterization ? )
- Pulse oximetry: A small clip is placed on the fingertip to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.
How to prepare for Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
- The doctor should be informed about the family history and medical history of the patient.
- If the patient is currently taking any medications, or supplements, tell the doctor about the same.
- If the patient is sensitive or allergic to any anesthetic agents, medications, latex, iodine, or tape, inform the doctor about the same.
- If the patient is having a pacemaker or any other implanted cardiac device, tell the doctor about the same. ( Know more about- What is Pacemaker Surgery ? )
- The doctor will ask the patient to stop taking blood-thinners like warfarin and aspirin a couple of days before the surgery.
- The patient should avoid eating or drinking anything after midnight, the day before the surgery.
- The patient should stop smoking at least a couple of days before the procedure.
What is the procedure of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
Many cases of ventricular septal defects are very small and mostly close on their own by the age of 6. However, in medium or large-sized defects, the doctor may recommend certain medications along with surgery.
Medications: Medications can help in treating the symptoms of ventricular septal defects, but cannot treat the condition. The medications recommended may include:
- Diuretics: These medicines increase the amount of fluid that the kidneys remove from the body, and help in preventing fluid buildup around the heart.
- Heart failure medications: Medications like digoxin can help in controlling the strength and timing of the heartbeats.
- Surgery: The different types of surgical procedures that can be done to repair a ventricular septal defect include: ( Know more about- What is Heart Bypass Surgery? )
Surgical repair:
- The procedure that is most commonly performed is known as open-heart surgery.
- It is done under general anesthesia, that is, the patient is asleep during the procedure.
- An incision or cut is made by the surgeon in the chest region.
- If the hole is small in size, the surgeon will stitch (suture) it and close it.
- In other cases, the doctor may place a patch made up of synthetic material or graft of the patient’s own tissue.
- The heart tissue will then grow over and around the patch
Transcatheter procedure:
- This procedure is performed by first injecting local anesthesia in the groin region to numb the area of the procedure.
- The doctor inserts a thin tube, known as a catheter, into a blood vessel in the groin region and then guides it to the heart region.
- A specialized device known as an occluder, which is made of a mesh framework covered in a synthetic material, is then placed through the catheter to plug the hole.
- The heart tissue will then grow over and around the mesh.
How to care after Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
- In most cases, surgery will permanently cure the ventricular septal defect.
- The doctor may give some pain medications to relieve the pain and discomfort after the procedure.
- The doctor may order tests like an ECG or echocardiogram after the procedure.
- The patient usually goes home one week after the surgery. ( Know more about- What are the Home remedies for Chest Pain ? )
- Avoid activities that cause a blow to the chest.
- It is normal to tire more easily for a couple of days after the procedure.
- Most patients can resume their normal activities quickly after the surgery.
- A follow-up appointment with the doctor is required to remove the stitches after one or two weeks.
- In case of any unusual symptoms like increased bleeding, increased swelling, fever, or excessive drainage, contact your doctor immediately.
- Follow all the diet, lifestyle, wound care, and medication instructions given by your doctor.
- The patient may require antibiotics before any medical or dental procedures to prevent heart valve infections.
- Regular follow-ups with the doctor may be required with the doctor after the surgery. These follow-ups become less frequent after a while.
- Most patients can lead a normal life after the procedure, with no activity restrictions.
What are the complications of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery?
The complications of a ventricular septal defect may include:
- Infection of the heart (endocarditis)
- Bleeding
- Blood clot formation
- Allergic reaction to anesthesia
- Disrupted heart valves, leading to their leakage
- Problems with the heart rhythm, such as heart blocks and arrhythmias, which may require pacemaker implantation or lifelong medication
- Recurrence of the hole which may require a follow-up surgery
- Death
How to prevent Ventricular Septal Defect?
A ventricular septal defect can be prevented in the following ways:
- Get prenatal care when you are planning to get pregnant
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse
- Keep your blood sugar levels under control before getting pregnant
- Talk to a genetic counselor before getting pregnant if you have a family history of congenital heart diseases
What is the cost of Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery in India?
The total cost of ventricular septal defect surgery in India can range from around INR 3,00,000 to INR 5,00,000. However, many prominent hospital doctors in India specialize in ventricular septal defect surgery. But the cost varies across different hospitals.
If you are coming from abroad, apart from the cost of ventricular septal defect surgery, there will be an additional cost of living in a hotel and the cost of local travel. After the procedure, the patient is kept for seven days in the hospital and seven days in the hotel for recovery. So, total cost of ventricular septal defect surgery in India comes to a total of INR 3,90,000 to INR 6,50,000.
We hope that we could answer all your questions regarding ventricular septal defect surgery through this article.
If you need more information about ventricular septal defect surgery, you can contact a Cardio-Vascular and Thoracic Surgeon.
We only aim to provide you with information through this article. We do not recommend any medication or treatment to anyone. Only a qualified doctor can give you the best advice and correct treatment plan.
