A male patient was born with an abnormal opening in the muscular wall separating the two ventricles of the heart.  The opening allows blood to flow from the left to the right ventricle.  If left untreated, this cardiac defect may cause any of the following in the patient EXCEPT:A.increased blood flow into the pulmonary artery.B.increased blood volume in the left atrium.C.low volume of oxygenated blood in the systemic arteries.D.reduced volume of oxygenated blood exiting the right ventricle.

The condition described is a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a hole in the wall separating the heart's lower chambers. This allows oxygen-rich blood to mix with oxygen-poor blood, leading to several potential complications.

A. Increased blood flow into the pulmonary artery: This is likely to occur because the blood is shunted (or redirected) from the left ventricle (which pumps blood to the body) to the right ventricle (which pumps blood to the lungs), leading to increased blood flow to the lungs.

B. Increased blood volume in the left atrium: This is not likely to occur. The defect is in the ventricles, not the atria. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it into the left ventricle. The VSD does not directly affect the volume of blood in the left atrium.

C. Low volume of oxygenated blood in the systemic arteries: This is likely to occur because the oxygen-rich blood in the left ventricle is mixing with the oxygen-poor blood in the right ventricle, reducing the amount of oxygenated blood that is pumped to the body.

D. Reduced volume of oxygenated blood exiting the right ventricle: This is likely to occur because the oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle is mixing with the oxygen-poor blood in the right ventricle, reducing the amount of oxygenated blood that is pumped to the lungs.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Increased blood volume in the left atrium. This is not a likely outcome of a ventricular septal defect.