Patient's question:
NoDoctor's answer:
Some congenital heart diseases require early surgery; otherwise, the opportunity for good surgical outcomes may be lost. Examples include large ventricular septal defects (VSDs) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Due to significant left-to-right shunting, infants with these conditions often experience recurrent pulmonary infections accompanied by heart failure. Simple medication alone is difficult to control the condition, which is often accompanied by severe pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, surgery should be completed as early as possible, typically within the first year of life, or even before six months.However, for small or moderate VSDs in children under two years old, if there are no clinical symptoms, minimal electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities, and normal growth and development, surgery can be deferred until a follow-up at age two to determine the need for intervention. This is because approximately 30-40% of membranous or muscular VSDs can naturally close as the child grows older.