Which two congenital heart defects are most common?

• A. Atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect
• B. Patent ductus arteriosus and coarctation of the aorta
• C. Tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries
• D. Ebstein's anomaly and truncus arteriosus

Answer: (A)

The most common congenital heart defects are defects in the septa that separate the heart’s chambers. A ventricular septal defect is the single most common lesion overall, and an atrial septal defect is also very frequent, especially the common secundum type. When you look at all congenital heart diseases together, these two defects occur far more often than any others, so they’re the typical duo you’d encounter most often. Other defects listed, like patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta, Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, Ebstein’s anomaly, and truncus arteriosus, are less common in the general population, even though they’re important in their own right.