Abstract
The persistence of signs of obstructive lung disease in some infants with VSD and left to right shunt, despite apparent cardiac compensation, suggests underlying or unrelated lung disease. To determine whether the chronic lung hyperinflation and respiratory acidosis seen in these infants is reversible, we analyzed the course of nine infants who presented at 1 month to 7 months of age. All had wheezing and persistent x-ray evidence of hyperinflation, either generalized or lobar, and five had chronic hypercarbia. The increase in heart size and pulmonary vascularity varied from mild to severe; pulmonary to systemic blood flow ratios ranged from 1.8 to 4.1/1, and pulmonary to systemic mean arterial pressure ratios ranged from 0.3 to 0.9. There was no relationship between the severity of cardiac disease and the manifestation of obstructive lung disease. Both chest x-ray and arterial blood gas findings reverted to normal in all of the patients following open heart correction of the VSD at 4 to 12 months of age. We conclude that the chronic obstructive lung disease in infants with VSD and left to right shunt is directly related to the cardiac disease and is completely reversible when the heart lesion is surgically corrected.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
