Pulmonary Function in Older Patients With Ventricular Septal Defect

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Medical Research

Background:

• Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common congenital heart anomaly.
• Long-term pulmonary consequences of VSD, especially in aging patients, require further investigation.
• Understanding pulmonary dysfunction evolution in VSD patients is crucial for lifelong management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate pulmonary function in adult patients with surgically corrected or unrepaired VSD.
• To compare pulmonary parameters in VSD patients with age- and gender-matched healthy controls.
• To identify potential long-term pulmonary sequelae following VSD repair.

Main Methods:

• Inclusion of adult patients with surgically corrected VSD, unrepaired VSD, and healthy controls.
• Utilized static and dynamic spirometry, impulse oscillometry, multiple breath washout, and diffusion capacity testing.
• Primary outcome measure was forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1).

Main Results:

• Surgically corrected VSD patients exhibited significantly lower FEV1, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow compared to controls.
• Corrected VSD patients showed increased small airway resistance and reduced carbon monoxide diffusion capacity.
• Patients with small, unrepaired VSD demonstrated pulmonary function comparable to healthy controls.

Conclusions:

• Adults with a history of surgically corrected VSD experience significant, long-term pulmonary impairment.
• Pulmonary dysfunction in corrected VSD patients includes reduced dynamic lung function, increased small airway resistance, and diminished diffusion capacity.
• Small, unrepaired VSDs do not appear to cause significant pulmonary function deficits in adulthood.