Which of the following is associated with increased SvO2 due to left-to-right cardiac shunting?

In the context of left-to-right cardiac shunting, a ventricular septal defect (VSD) leads to increased systemic venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) due to the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. In a VSD, the defect in the ventricular septum allows blood to flow from the left ventricle, which has higher pressure and oxygen saturation, to the right ventricle and subsequently to the pulmonary artery. This results in increased blood flow to the lungs and a higher return of oxygenated blood back to the left atrium, thus raising the overall oxygen saturation levels in the systemic circulation.

As a consequence, patients with a VSD often exhibit higher SvO2 levels because the blood that would typically be desaturated in the systemic circuit is now receiving a significant proportion of oxygenated blood that has returned from the pulmonary circulation. This physiological phenomenon highlights how left-to-right shunts can impact systemic oxygen delivery and utilization.

Other conditions like mitral regurgitation, right ventricular failure, and aortic stenosis have different mechanisms and implications. Mitral regurgitation can lead to volume overload but does not primarily increase SvO2 through shunting. Right ventricular failure often results in decreased cardiac output, which negatively affects