Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of serious heart defects often appear during the first few days, weeks or months of a child's life.

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) symptoms in a baby may include:

• Poor eating, failure to thrive
• Fast breathing or breathlessness
• Easy tiring

You and your doctor may not notice signs of a ventricular septal defect at birth. If the defect is small, symptoms may not appear until later in childhood — if at all. Signs and symptoms vary depending on the size of the hole and other associated heart defects.

Your doctor may first suspect a heart defect during a regular checkup if he or she hears a murmur while listening to your baby's heart with a stethoscope. Sometimes a VSD can be detected by ultrasound before the baby is born.

Sometimes a VSD isn't detected until a person reaches adulthood. Symptoms and signs can include shortness of breath or a heart murmur your doctor hears when listening to your heart with a stethoscope.

When to see a doctor

Call your doctor if your baby or child:

• Tires easily when eating or playing
• Is not gaining weight
• Becomes breathless when eating or crying
• Breathes rapidly or is short of breath

Call your doctor if you develop:

• Shortness of breath when you exert yourself or when you lie down
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Fatigue or weakness