Which finding would most likely be present in a patient with pulmonary atresia?

Pulmonary atresia is a congenital heart defect characterized by the underdevelopment of the pulmonary valve, which prevents blood from flowing from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery and subsequently to the lungs. This condition often coexists with a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a defect in the wall that separates the heart's two lower chambers (ventricles).

In cases of pulmonary atresia, the presence of a ventricular septal defect is crucial because it allows blood to bypass the atretic pulmonary valve and enter the pulmonary artery through the interventricular septum. This shunting can facilitate some degree of pulmonary blood flow, which is essential for oxygenation. Thus, the finding of pulmonary atresia with a ventricular septal defect is quite common, making it the most likely option present in a patient with this diagnosis.

Other options, while they may appear in various contexts of congenital heart disease, are less directly associated with the classic presentation of pulmonary atresia. For example, while an atrial septal defect can occur in some patients with congenital heart disease, it is not a defining feature of pulmonary atresia specifically. Mitral valve incompetence and left ventricular hypertrophy are also not characteristic findings of pulmonary