Ventricular septal defect

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Ventricular septal defect

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Ventricular septal defect

Alternative Names:

VSD; Interventricular septal defect

Prevention:

Except for the case of heart attack associated VSD, this condition is always present at birth. Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and maternal use of the antiseizure medicines -- valproic acid and phenytoin (depakote and dilantin) -- during pregnancy have been associated with increased incidence of VSDs. Other than avoiding these, there is no known way to prevent a VSD.

Review Date: 5/17/2004
Reviewed By: Elchanan Bruckheimer, MBBS, Director of Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization, Schneider Children's Medical Center Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.