Q21: Congenital malformations of cardiac septa
Q21.9: Congenital malformation of cardiac septum, unspecified
The heart pumps blood through the body. Inside the heart are 4 chambers. There are 2 heart atria and 2 ventricles. Both heart atria and both ventricles are separated from each other by a partition.
A change in the cardiac septum can occur while the heart is developing in the womb before birth. This may affect the septum between the two upper chambers (atria) or between the two lower chambers (ventricles). Sometimes, for example, the cardiac septum fails to close up as normal during development. A change in the cardiac septum alters normal blood flow in the heart. This sometimes puts the heart under greater strain. The blood supply to the body may also be impacted due to the altered cardiac septum.
This can cause a range of very different symptoms. You may occasionally experience shortness of breath or tire quickly. Your skin, nails and fingers may also look different. Having only a small change in the cardiac septum may mean you don’t have any symptoms at all.
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