A ventricular septal defect is a hole in the wall between the two pumping chambers of the heart. Closure means sealing it, either with a patch sewn in during open heart surgery or, for certain holes, with a plug delivered through a catheter.
Closing a significant hole stops excess blood flooding the lungs, allows a baby to grow and protects against permanent lung vessel damage. Many small holes never need closing because they shrink or close on their own, and once lung pressures have risen irreversibly, closure is no longer safe.
What Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Closure involves
Echocardiography defines the size and position of the hole, and catheterisation is added when lung pressures need measuring. For surgical repair, under general anaesthetic the chest is opened through the breastbone and the child is placed on a heart-lung machine. The heart is stilled, and the surgeon usually reaches the defect through the right atrium and tricuspid valve, avoiding a cut in the ventricle. A patch of Dacron, PTFE or the child's own pericardium is sewn around the rim, with stitches placed carefully away from the conduction tissue that runs along the edge. The repair is checked by echocardiography in theatre before the chest is closed.
Who is a good candidate for Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Closure?
Closure is advised when the hole is large enough to affect the heart or lungs, or causes complications.
- Infants with a large VSD and heart failure or poor weight gain despite medicines, usually repaired at 3 to 6 months
- Moderate defects with enlargement of the left heart chambers
- Defects beneath the aortic valve causing the valve to prolapse or leak
- A previous episode of endocarditis on the defect
- Adults with a significant shunt and lung pressures still in a safe range
It is usually not the right choice if:
- Small muscular or membranous defects without heart enlargement, which are simply monitored
- Eisenmenger syndrome, where lung vessel disease is fixed and the shunt has reversed
- A child with active infection until recovered
- An infant in heart failure should be stabilised and treated locally, not transported long distances
الخيارات التقنية
- Surgical patch closure: The standard for most perimembranous, outlet and large defects in infants.
- Transcatheter device closure: A plug placed through a vein in the groin. Suits muscular defects and selected perimembranous ones in children above about 8 to 10 kg.
- Hybrid perventricular closure: The chest is opened but the device is inserted through the beating heart wall, for muscular holes in small babies.
- Pulmonary artery banding: A temporary band to limit lung flow when several holes or small size make immediate repair unwise.
ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك
Open repair takes 2 to 4 hours, followed by 1 to 3 days in paediatric intensive care. Catheter closure takes 1 to 2 hours under general anaesthetic with one night in hospital. Parents can usually stay with the child outside theatre and intensive care procedures.
الإعداد لرحلتك
Plan for 3 to 4 weeks (surgery); 7 to 10 days (catheter) in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.
- Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
- Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
- Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
- Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly
التعافي والنتائج
After surgery the hospital stay is about 5 to 10 days. Babies often feed better and gain weight within weeks. The breastbone heals in about 6 weeks. After device closure, activity is normal within a week, with aspirin for 6 months. Antibiotic cover before dental work is advised for 6 months after either method. Plan to remain nearby for 1 to 2 weeks after discharge, and arrange cardiology checks at home.
- Back to everyday activity: 6 weeks after surgery; 1 week after catheter closure
- When results show: Immediate; growth catches up over months
- How long they last: Permanent
سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح
Isolated VSD repair has a survival rate above 98 to 99 percent in established centres.
- Complete heart block needing a permanent pacemaker, in about 1 percent after surgery and somewhat more with some devices
- A small residual leak around the patch, often harmless
- Bleeding or fluid around the heart
- Wound or chest infection
- Damage to the tricuspid or aortic valve
- Device movement or embolisation after catheter closure
- Rhythm disturbances later in life
Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.
Cost of Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Closure in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Closure, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- Surgical or catheter approach, and the device used
- Days in intensive care
- Pre-procedure catheterisation or CT
- Stay for the child and an accompanying parent
Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
الأسئلة المتكررة
Might the hole close by itself?
Yes. A large share of small muscular and membranous defects close or become insignificant in the first years of life, which is why many are only observed.
Will my child have a normal life afterwards?
After an uncomplicated repair in infancy, most children have normal exercise capacity and life expectancy, with occasional cardiology reviews.
Device or surgery?
It depends on the position of the hole and the size of the child. Holes close to valves or the conduction system are generally safer closed by surgery.