In part two of our congenital heart defects mini-series, Dr. Morgan Taylor, DNP, CPNP, CCRN, breaks down ventricular septal defects (VSDs)—what they are, why they cause increased pulmonary blood flow, and how they show up at the bedside.

We compare VSDs to ASDs, walk through a classic 2-week-old case that progresses to heart failure, and map the nurse’s priorities from stabilization to post-closure care. 

What you’ll learn:

• Anatomy made easy: “Two-story house” model—where a VSD lives and how left-to-right shunting happens

• Why high pressure pushes oxygenated blood back to the RV → lungs (pulmonary overcirculation)

• Assessment clues like holosystolic murmur, tachypnea, retractions, and poor weight gain 

• Nursing priorities and management options 

• PLUS hear what a VSD holosystolic murmur actually sounds like so it pops out in practice! 

Perfect for nursing students reviewing peds topics, PICU nurses, and anyone who wants the left-to-right shunt story to finally click. 

Pro tip: Auscultate every “normal” heart you can—once S1/S2 are locked in your ears, a pathologic murmur will jump out. 

“Ventricular Septal Defect” by Steven M. Selbst, M.D. is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons 

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ventricular_Septal_Defect.wav 

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