The disease that Beatrice Bergeron suffers from is called ventricular septal defect (VSD), which is a common heart defect. A ventricular septal defect is a condition where there is a hole in the ventricular septum of the heart between the ventricles. The blood from the left ventricle of the heart flows through the hole and into the right ventricle instead of circulating throughout the body. Consequently, the right ventricle then has to work harder to accommodate for the extra blood. The oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle and the oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle mix and then travel to the lungs. A ventricular septal defect can greatly impact the human body and cause permanent damage, especially if left untreated. Since the lungs are receiving too much blood, it may cause the arterioles to thicken up which could cause permanent damage to the lungs. As well, the right ventricle may have trouble handling the extra blood which may cause the heart to fail. Tissue damage may also occur in the right ventricle caused by the blood from the left ventricle being pumped at a high pressure. Therefore, this could lead to bacteria in the blood stream infecting the tissue which could cause an illness called bacterial endocarditis. If a ventricular septal defect remains unrepaired, lung disease can occur and the pressure in the right side of the heart becomes greater than in the left side.
