Complex Atrial Ventricular Septal Defect (AVSD)
Last updated December 2021
Although many children with Atrial Ventricular Septal Defects receive corrective surgery, some of them follow the single ventricle heart treatment. Their condition may be referred to as an unbalanced AVSD where the ventricles are unequal, with one smaller than the other.
In AVSD there is a large hole in the wall (septum) in the middle of the heart. It affects the collecting chamber wall (atrium) and the pumping chamber wall (ventricle) and can affect the valves set in the middle of the heart.
In some cases the wall of the heart between the pumping chambers is too large to be closed.
Treatment for this condition depends on the exact position of all the blood vessels, the placement and function of the central valves and the size of the ventricles. Your cardiac team will explain the treatment path for your child.