Atrioventricular septal defects

[Luis Fok]

Atrioventricular (AV) septal defect is a combination of heart defects. These include a hole in the wall that separate the upper chambers of the heart (atrial septal defect), a single valve separating the upper and lower chambers of the heart (instead of two valves) and sometimes a hole in the wall separating the lower chambers of the heart (ventricular septal defect).

Children who have no defect in the ventricle or only a small defect may have no symptoms.
If the ventricular septal defect is large, infants may have difficulty breathing while they are eating, poor growth, a rapid heart rate, and sweating.
The diagnosis is suspected based on a typical heart murmur that a doctor can hear through a stethoscope and is confirmed by echocardiography.
Defects are repaired with surgery.

(See also Overview of Heart Defects.)
Atrioventricular septal defects account for about 5% of birth defects of the heart.