Epidemiology


Etiology

  • Types by location:
    • Membranous (perimembranous): ~80%, most common
    • Muscular (trabecular): may close spontaneously
    • Inlet (AV canal type): assoc. w/ Down syndrome
    • Outlet (subarterial/supracristal)

Pathophysiology


Clinical features

General

  • Small defects: usually asymptomatic
  • Medium-sized or large defects
    • Lead to heart failure by the age of 2–3 months
    • Become symptomatic after high pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) present at birth starts to decrease: ↓ PVR → ↓ right ventricular pressure → ↑ left-to-right shunt → symptoms
    • So it may not be heard at birth

Diagnostics


Treatment