Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Ventricular septal defect post-surgical prognosis
Introduction
Post-operative Treatment
Post-operative Treatment
Post-operative course
- The operative mortality for an elective repair is less than 2%.
- It is increased by the presence of associated anomalies, multiple defects, or if there is severe pulmonary hypertension.
- Late follow-up shows that their life expectancy is restored to that of age matched controls (except in those over the age of three with severe pulmonary hypertension).
- There is a residual defect in 14% to 25% of patients which is hemodynamically insignificant
- A persistent RBBB in the majority of patients due to disruption of the Purkinje fibers.
- In patients over 3 at the time of the operation, there is often residual and progressive pulmonary hypertension and or residual ventricular dysfunction.
- The risk of endocarditis following closure is similar to that in the general population. Because small defects are frequent, antibiotic prophylaxis is still recommended.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]and Leida Perez, M.D.; Keri Shafer, M.D. [2], Priyamvada Singh, MBBS