Atrio-ventricular Septal Defect (AVSD)
What is AVSD?
Atrio-ventricular septal defect (AVSD) is a defect in which there are holes between the chambers of the right and left sides of the heart, and the valves that control the flow of blood between these chambers may not be formed correctly.
A normal heart has 4 chambers — 2 upper chambers, called the right and left atria, and 2 lower chambers, called the right and left ventricles. Between the atria and ventricles are valves (atrioventricular valves). The tricuspid valve is on the right, and the mitral valve is on the left.
When someone has AVSD:
- There is a hole in the wall between the right and left atria
- There is a hole in the wall between the right and left ventricles
- The atrioventricular valves are not formed as they should be. This may mean a person with AVSD has just 1 larger valve in the middle of their heart instead of 1 valve on each side of their heart.
Together, these problems may make a hole inside the center of the baby’s heart, meaning blood flows where it normally should not go. The blood may also have a lower-than-normal amount of oxygen, and extra blood can flow to the lungs.
This extra blood being pumped into the lungs forces the heart and lungs to work hard and may lead to congestive heart failure.
Early surgical repair is needed in most cases (in the first 4 – 6 months).
What are the symptoms of AVSD?
Most children with AVSD have symptoms within the first few weeks of life. In rare instances, some children will have no symptoms until later in childhood.
AVSD can cause symptoms such as:
·    Fast breathing
·    Shortness of breath or working hard to breathe when feeding
·    Arrhythmia
·    Sweating, especially with feeding in infants
·    Failure to thrive
·    Trouble exercising
·    Fatigue
·    Palpitations
What kind of treatment options are there?
Early surgical repair is needed in most cases, within the first 4 – 6 months.
The specifics of the surgery will depend on how severe your child’s defect is.
