Chest Pain and Shortness of Breath

My 11 year old daughter has a small VSD.  She has been complaining of intermittent chest pain, a few times each day.  The pain is debilitating in nature and keeps her from doing anything for a few minutes.  I was not too worried until she reported that several times today she had unexplained shortness of breath.  She is in very good shape and plays on her soccer team.  She does not complain of pain during exercise.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Dragon1973]

My son has an ASD and though it's not a hole in the same area, the symptoms can be similar.  I was told by my son's pediatric cardiologist that if he had any of the symptoms as he got older, to see the doctor right away, as the ASD could be worsening or just not improving.  At birth, my son's ASD was 8mm.  It has since closed to 2mm, on it's own, so we are only monitoring it.  (No surgery necessary unless he had debilitating symptoms.) I certainly wouldn't take any chances where your daughter is concerned, and I would contact her specialist or if she doesn't have one any longer get her doctor to make a referral ASAP.  The heart is tricky, and with all the technologies, repairs are routine.  I wouldn't wait until it becomes more of a problem, even if she says it's nothing.  It was enough for her to tell you about this part, so follow up with it.
In addition to anything I have mentioned, please keep in mind, that while I or others may have extensive knowledge in many areas, you should always seek professional medical advice from your own physician, as it pertains to medical conditions or concerns.
Good luck, and if you have any other questions that I can help you with, please feel free to message me directly.

Sincerely,
Sandi (Dragon1973)
MedHelp Down syndrome Community Leader
& Ds Group Forum Founder/Moderator

[vedadhar]

Small VSD s can close themselves from weeks to years after birth.But there may not be very serious or observable symptoms presenting during the course.In situations like VSD s the deoxygenated blood mixes up with oxygenated blood then it may cause mild ischemia which is the actual reason of shortness of breath.If the shortness of breath lasts for a long time may be more than 3-5 mins then it shopuld be analysed more to estimate the extent of VSD.So meet your Doc and have a Color Doppler USG  to estimate the closure of the septum.Mean while regular breathing exercises for 15 min colud be helpful.

[vedadhar]

In adults with VSD, the shunt is left to right in the absence of pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary hypertension, and patients typically manifest with symptoms of heart failure (e.g., shortness of breath, orthopnea, and dyspnea on exertion).
Care has to be taken that no complications will be troubling- like development of pulmonary hypertension,congestive heart failure,shunt changes dependent on the size of the defect and the ratio of the pulmonary to systemic vascular resistance.Meet your Doc and let these things to be analysed.Mean while Oxygen and low-salt diet is recommended in patients with congestive heart failure.