Treatments: Atrial Septal Defect Closure What is atrial septal defect closure?
What is atrial septal defect closure? Atrial septal defect closure uses a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to repair a hole in the wall between the two upper (atrial) chambers of the heart. Why would a doctor recommend atrial septal defect closure? Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart disease, present at birth. A baby’s heart normally has a hole in the wall (septum) between the left and right atria before the baby is born. Usually, this hole closes soon after birth. If it does not close completely, blood leaks from the heart's left side back to the right side. In time the right atrium can grow larger than the left because of pressure differences. Many children with ASD have no symptoms. But as a child grows to adulthood, ASD can cause these symptoms:
Adults with ASD are at risk for developing:
Almost half of atrial septal defects will close by themselves before the child is two years old. Surgery is usually recommended in serious cases: if the hole is large, and/or the right side of the heart has grown bigger than normal, and/or the child has high blood pressure in his or her lungs. What does atrial septal defect closure involve? With the patient awake and under local pain medicine, the doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube (catheter) in an artery, usually near the patient's groin. Using an X-ray camera, the doctor guides the catheter into the heart. He or she will perform several tests to measure the size of the ASD, and to check that there are no other defects in the heart. The tests may include an angiography, where the doctor injects dye into the heart arteries and measures the blood flow and blood pressure in the heart chambers. To repair the hole, the doctor moves an ASD closure device—like two tiny, square umbrellas—through the catheter to the site of the heart wall defect. The device expands to cover each side of the hole. It will stay in the heart permanently to keep blood from flowing incorrectly between the two atrial chambers. The catheter is then removed. The procedure usually takes between two and four hours. Heart tissue will grow over the closure device in a short time, and the device will become a part of the heart wall. How long is the recovery after atrial septal defect closure? Patients must rest in the hospital for six hours after the procedure, and may return home either the evening of the procedure, or the following morning. back to Conditions and Treatments
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