• MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute
  • Doctors
  • Appointments
  • Conditions & Treatments
  • Locations
  • Search
  • Menu
Don’t delay your care! Call 888-354-3422 to schedule a video visit with a specialist today!

Find a doctor or specialist that meet your needs

Need Help? Email [email protected]

Close Menu
    • Find a Doctor
    • Find a Location
    • Request an Appointment
 

Newsroom

For Patients

  • Conditions & Treatments
  • Programs and Services
  • Patient Resources
  • Why Choose Us
  • Ways to Give

For Medical Professionals

  • Careers
  • Educational Opportunities
  • Publications and Case Studies
  • Research
arrow_back Conditions & Treatments

Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

Call for an appointment or referral
888-354-3422

email Email a Question
menu Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)
  • Overview
    • Tests
    • Treatments
    • Physicians
  • Overview arrow_forward
  • Tests arrow_forward
  • Treatments arrow_forward
  • Physicians arrow_forward

Ongoing expert care for a hole in the heart

Expert Heart & Vascular Care

Getting the care you need starts with seeing one of our heart or vascular specialists.

Request an Appointment

A ventricular septal defect, or VSD, is a hole in the wall separating the heart’s two lower chambers. This hole can allow blood to flow back through the heart instead of being pumped to the rest of the body, which makes the heart have to work harder.

A VSD most often is a congenital heart defect, meaning it’s present from birth. Rarely, adults may develop one after having a heart attack.

Small VSDs in children often close on their own without treatment. Large VSDs and those in adults usually don’t. Whether or not you need treatment, you’ll need regular checkups to make sure no complications or other heart conditions have developed. Our Adult Congenital Heart Center cares for the unique needs of adults with congenital heart defects. The experts in our Structural Heart and Valvular Disease Program provide advanced treatments for patients with VSDs caused by heart damage in adulthood.

What are the symptoms and complications of a VSD?

Small VSDs may not cause any symptoms. In adults, the most common VSD symptoms are shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat.

Women who have been treated for VSDs that caused problems with their hearts and lungs, as well as women who have VSDs that haven’t been treated, should talk to their doctors before becoming pregnant.

If you have a VSD, you may be at risk for developing other heart conditions, such as:

  • Eisenmenger syndrome, a condition affecting blood flow from the heart to the lungs
  • Endocarditis, an infection of the heart’s inner lining
  • Heart failure
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Pulmonary hypertension, or blood pressure in the lungs that’s too high

Adult Congenital Heart Center

When you’re born with a heart problem, you may need complex care throughout your life. Our experts tailor this specialized care to your unique needs.

Learn More

Tests

Your doctor will need to test your heart regularly to make sure you haven’t developed any other heart conditions as a result of your VSD. If you weren’t diagnosed as a child, your doctor may first hear a distinct heart murmur during a regular exam and order other tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions by guiding thin, flexible tubes called catheters through blood vessels to problem areas.

Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan

The cardiac computed tomography scan, or cardiac CT, uses X-rays to create three-dimensional images of your heart and blood vessels.

Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create pictures of the structures inside the chest, including the lungs, heart and chest wall.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG, measures the heart’s electrical activity.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic resonance imaging, better known as cardiac MRI, is a combination of radio waves, magnets and computer technology to create images of your heart and blood vessels.

Stress Tests

Stress tests are used to assess how your heart works during physical activity. There are several types of stress tests, including treadmill or bike stress tests, nuclear stress tests, stress echocardiograms and chemically induced stress tests.

Treatments

You may not need treatment for a VSD if it’s small or not causing symptoms. For more severe cases, your doctor may recommend medications or surgical repair.

Heart Surgery

Heart surgery is an option to treat many heart conditions. You may need heart surgery either as a lifesaving procedure or when other treatments haven’t worked.

Structural Heart and Valve Disease Treatments

Structural heart and valve disease treatments address defects or abnormalities with the heart’s muscle or valves with or without surgery.

Physicians

View all arrow_forward
8 Doctors & Specialists
Dr. Ammar S. Bafi, MD
Dr. Ammar S. Bafi, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Surgery
(199)
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Ricardo Orlando Quarrie, MD, MS
Dr. Ricardo Orlando Quarrie, MD, MS
Cardiac Surgery
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-6550
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Hiroto Kitahara, MD
Dr. Hiroto Kitahara, MD
Cardiac Surgery
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Michael Fiocco, MD
Dr. Michael Fiocco, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Surgery
(158)
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-6550
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Jeffrey E. Cohen, MD
Dr. Jeffrey E. Cohen, MD
Cardiac Surgery
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Christian Charles Shults, MD
Dr. Christian Charles Shults, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Surgery
(254)
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Ezequiel J. Molina, MD
Dr. Ezequiel J. Molina, MD
Cardiac Surgery
(138)
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Brian Thomas Bethea, MD
Dr. Brian Thomas Bethea, MD
Cardiac Surgery
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-6550
View Profile
Request Appointment
loading
Download our Cardiovascular Performance & Outcomes Booklet!
Download
  • Find a Doctor 
  • Find a Location location_on
  • Request an Appointment today
  • myMedStar lock
  • Don't Show Again Close close
     
     Don't show this to me again
     
    Top vertical_align_top   Quick Tools
     

    MEDSTARHEALTH.ORG

    Request an Appointment
    Call for an appointment or referral
    888-354-3422
    Patients & Visitors
    • Patients & Visitors
      • Doctors
      • Locations
      • Programs and Services
      • Conditions & Treatments
      • myMedStar
      • Patient Resources
      • Patient Stories
      • About Us
      • Why Choose Us
    Medical Professionals
    • Medical Professionals
      • Careers
      • Educational Opportunities
      • Resources
    Research & Resources
    • Research & Resources
      • Cleveland Clinic Alliance
      • Clinical Trials Research
      • Innovations
      • Resources
      • Research and Innovations
    Ways to Give Back
    • Give Back
    Stay Connected

    Stay Connected

    Ride With Uber | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Feedback © 2019 MEDSTAR HEALTH