Atrioventricular septal defect history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Generally, infants present atrioventricular septal defect symptoms within the first month of life. These symptoms include:

• Congestive heart failure
• Tachypnea
• Failure to thrive
• Fatigue
• Cyanosis
• Lack of appetite/poor feeding
• Frequent respiratory infections
• Pulmonary vascular disease
• Extremis with acidosis
• Cyanosis

Some forms of atrioventricular septal defect, such as partial or incomplete, are asymptomatic until later in childhood. Symptoms include:

• Moderate to severe mitral regurgitation
• Left-to-right shunting of blood
• Pulmonary disease
• Frequent lower respiratory infections
• Progressive cardiac enlargement
• LV dysfunction
• Progressive exercise intolerance
• Palpitations caused by atrial arrhythmia

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