A complication connected with ventricular septal defect, a type of congenital heart defect.
A condition present at birth that combines pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs) with a heart defect that mixes oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood, often giving the skin a bluish tint. Although people are born with Eisenmenger complex, symptoms usually first develop in the 20s and 30s. In addition to a bluish skin color, particularly under the fingernails and on the lips, early symptoms include fatigue, low tolerance for physical exertion, shortness of breath, and fainting. As the disease progresses and the heart muscle weakens, symptoms worsen. Irregular heart rhythm, chest pain, anemia, blood clots, kidney disease, heart failure, stroke, and sudden death can occur.
A congenital cyanotic heart defect consisting of ventricular septal defect, dextroposition of the aorta, pulmonary hypertension with pulmonary artery enlargement, and hypertrophy of the right ventricle.
This is a situation where blood lacking in oxygen returns directly into the circulatory system instead of first going through the lungs. This happens because of an irregular link between the left and right sections of the heart and due to pulmonary hypertension, a condition where the blood pressure in the arteries that lead to the lungs is unusually high. The ensuing hypoxia, a deficiency of oxygen in the blood, triggers cyanosis, a bluish tint on the skin, along with fainting spells and challenges in breathing.
Eisenmenger complex typically manifests in individuals with specific untreated congenital heart abnormalities, like a ventricular septal defect.
Confirmation of Eisenmenger complex can be achieved through cardiac catheterization, a procedure that involves guiding a thin tube into the heart through a blood vessel under X-ray supervision. Once this condition has developed, the initial defect’s surgical correction is ineffective. However, medication can aid in managing the symptoms.