Question

Some infants are born with a hole in the septum between the left and right ventricles called a VSD (ventricular septal defect). This enables blood to pass between the two ventricles. Considering that blood will always move from an area of higher pressure to an area of lower pressure, which of the following would be a consequence of this condition? (Note, consider these based solely on the condition, and not any subsequent compensatory mechanisms such as an increase in blood volume). Three options are correct.

Group of answer choices

Peripheral (systemic) oedema

Increased aortic pressure

Pulmonary hypotension

Pulmonary oedema

Decreased left heart ejection fraction

Decreased right heart EDV

Increased left ventricular EDV

Answer 1

Pulmonary oedema – When there is ventricular septal defect, it enables the flow of the blood between two ventricles. In this the blood will always move from an area of high pressure to low pressure and hence as a result, it might lad to increase in the accumulation of the fluid in the lungs as well as the heart area. As the VSD tends to increase the blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, there is increased blood flow to the lungs and hence is responsible for causing pulmonary edema.

Increased left ventricular EDV – The end-diastolic volume is the blood volume which is present in the right or left ventricle available at the end of diastole or the amount of blood which is present within the ventricles before systole. When there is increase in the left ventricular EDV, it tends to increase the preload of the heart and hence increases the blood that is ejected during systole from ventricle.

Decreased left heart ejection fraction – Now, in the case of VSD, there is a hole which is present between the left and right ventricle. Due to the presence of this hole, the blood is able to effortlessly move from an area of high to low pressure and hence the rate or pressure that is applied for ejection of the blood from left ventricle is reduced.