Atrial Septal Defect

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a heart defect that is present at birth (congenital). As a baby develops in the womb, a wall (called the interatrial septum) forms that divides the upper chamber into a left and right atrium. An abnormal formation of this wall can result in a hole that remains after birth.This defect allows oxygen-rich blood to leak into the oxygen-poor blood chambers in the heart.  The septum is a wall that separates the heart's left and right sides.

Research indicates that congenital heart disease is diagnosed in 0.8% of children in the first year of life. Atrial septal defect is the second most common congenital heart defect in children and adults and occurs in anywhere from 0.67-2.1 per 1000 live births. Secundum atrial septal defects comprise just over 90% of all atrial septal defects. About 15-30% of healthy adults have an unfused foramen ovale in which the valve functions normally but has failed to fuse.

There are no known medications that can repair the hole.Surgery may also be recommended for an adult who has many or severe symptoms. Surgery involves fixing the hole and may be done through cardiac catheterization or open-heart surgery. After surgery, follow-up care will depend on the size of the defect, person’s age, and whether the person has oTreatment ther birth defects.