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About the heart - Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)Ventricular septal defect is a congenital defect of the heart, that occurs as an abnormal opening in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles. Ventricular septal defect may also be associated with other heart defects. Many small defects will close on their own. For those defects that do not spontaneously close, the outcome is good with surgical repair. 
Before a baby is born, the right and left ventricles of its heart are not separate. As the fetus grows, a muscular wall forms to separate these lower heart chambers. If the wall does not completely form, a hole remains. This is what is known as a ventricular septal defect, or a VSD. It is estimated that up to 0.4% of babies are born with this condition. In the vast majority (80-90%) of babies born with this condition, the hole is small. They will have no symptoms, and the hole will close spontaneously as the muscular wall continues to grow after birth. If the hole is large, then too much blood will be pumped to the lungs, leading to congestive heart failure. These babies are often have symptoms related to the problem and may need medicine or surgery to close the hole. As with most types of congenital heart disease, no one knows what causes VSDs. This defect often occurs along with other congenital heart malformations. In adults, interventricular septal defects are a rare, but serious complication of heart attacks. These holes are related to the heart attack and do not result from a birth defect. Pulmonary atresia occurs when the pulmonary valve does not develop. The main pulmonary artery is very small. The branch arteries from the main pulmonary artery may be small as well. There is a hole between the bottom two chambers of the heart (ventricular septal defect) and there may be a hole between the top two chambers (atrial septal defect). There is a connecting blood vessel from the aorta to the pulmonary artery (patent ductus arteriosusÑPDA). When the main pulmonary artery and-its branches are small, it is hard for blood to get to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
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