What type of murmur is commonly associated with a ventricular septal defect?

A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital heart condition characterized by an abnormal opening in the interventricular septum, which separates the left and right ventricles of the heart. This defect allows blood to flow from the left ventricle, which is under higher pressure, to the right ventricle, leading to a volume overload in the right heart and the pulmonary circulation.

The murmur associated with a VSD is typically a holosystolic murmur, also known as a pansystolic or systolic murmur. This type of murmur occurs throughout the entirety of ventricular systole, which is the phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart contracts to pump blood. The sound is generated due to the turbulent flow of blood across the defects from the high-pressure left ventricle to the lower-pressure right ventricle, resulting in the characteristic continuous sound throughout the systolic phase.

In contrast, other types of murmurs mentioned are not associated with a VSD. Diastolic murmurs are heard during the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle and are typically linked to conditions involving the aortic valve or mitral valve. A continuous machinery murmur is commonly heard in conditions like patent ductus arteriosus