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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns and symptoms of serious heart defects often appear during the first few days, weeks or months of a child's life.
Ventricular septal defect symptoms in a baby may include:
- A bluish tint to the skin, lips and fingernails (cyanosis)
- Poor eating, failure to thrive
- Fast breathing or breathlessness
- Easy tiring
- Swelling of legs, feet or abdomen
- Rapid heart rate
Although these signs can be caused by other conditions, they may be due to a congenital heart defect.
You and your doctor may not notice signs of a ventricular septal defect at birth. If the defect is small, symptoms may not appear until later in childhood — if ever. Signs and symptoms vary depending on the size of the hole. Your doctor may first suspect a heart defect during a regular checkup while listening to your baby's heart with a stethoscope.
Sometimes a ventricular septal defect isn't detected until a person reaches adulthood. Signs or symptoms can include shortness of breath and a loud heart murmur your doctor can hear when listening to your heart with a stethoscope.
When to see a doctor
Call your doctor if your baby or child:
- Tires easily when eating or playing
- Is not gaining weight
- Becomes breathless when eating or crying
- Has a bluish tint to his or her skin, especially around the fingernails and lips
- Breathes rapidly or is short of breath
Call your doctor if you develop:
- Shortness of breath when you exert yourself or when you lie down
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Fatigue and weakness
- Swelling (edema) in your legs, ankles and feet
- Holes in the heart. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/holes/holes_all.html. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
- More information for parents of children with VSD. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/AboutCongenitalHeartDefects/Ventricular-Septal-Defect-VSD_UCM_307041_Article.jsp. Accessed Aug. 3, 2011.
- More information for adults with VSD. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/AboutCongenitalHeartDefects/Ventricular-Septal-Defect-VSD_UCM_307041_Article.jsp. Accessed Aug. 3, 2011.
- Dummer KB, et al. Pathophysiology and clinical features of isolated ventricular septal defects in infants and children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
- Cohen S, et al. Ventricular septal defect. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..C2009-0-38601-8&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&uniqId=270492172-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..C2009-0-38601-8--TOP. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
- Dummer KB, et al. Management of isolated ventricular septal defects in infants and children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
- Nishimura RA. ACC/AHA guideline update on valvular heart disease: Focused update on infective endocarditis. Circulation. 2008;118:887.
- Genetic counseling. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/UnderstandYourRiskforCongenitalHeartDefects/Genetic-Counseling_UCM_307393_Article.jsp. Accessed Aug. 3, 2011.
- Ammash NM, et al. Ventricular septal defect in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
- Cetta F (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 19, 2011.
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