Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Repair
What is an atrial septal defect (ASD)?
Some children are born with a hole in the wall between the
upper two chambers of the heart, called the atria. This is
called an atrial septal defect. Although this defect usually
does not cause any symptoms or problems in a young child,
over a lifetime there can be harmful effects on the heart
and lungs. Cardiac surgery to close this hole is usually performed
before the child starts going to school.
Preparing for the procedure
Prior to cardiac surgery, this heart defect will be diagnosed with an EKG, a chest X-ray and an echocardiogram. Before surgery, blood tests are conducted to be sure that there is no infection and no problem with clotting and that a normal range of electrolytes are in the blood. A blood test to determine the blood type and compatibility will be performed so that blood will be available for the surgery.
During the procedure
The
child will be placed under general anesthesia, and special
monitoring intravenous lines will be put in. The chest is
entered through the sternum (breastbone). This procedure is
often feasible through only a partial opening in the sternum
using a minimally invasive approach.
The heart/lung machine is then connected to the heart to
temporarily take over the work of the heart and the lungs
while the repair is being done. The right atrium is then opened
and the hole is visualized. It is closed either by direct
sutures or by using a patch of synthetic material or, most
often, a piece of pericardium (part of the sac surrounding
the heart).
The heart is then allowed to fill and take over its normal
function. The chest incision is closed after placing a drainage
tube. The child is usually allowed to awaken from anesthesia
within a couple of hours and is taken off the breathing machine.
In adolescents, a minimally
invasive port access (Heartport) approach may be used.
After the procedure
The child will need a day or two to recover from general anesthesia, from the use of the heart-lung bypass machine and from the surgery. The main goals during this time will be for the child to return to normal activities -- to drink, to eat, to get up and walk around and to control any pain from surgery.
Click here for recovery guidelines after discharge for congenital heart defect repair at the Inova Heart Center.
- Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Repair
- Ventricular Septal Defect
- Tetralogy of Fallot Repair
- Arterial Switch for TGA
- Atrioventricular Canal Surgery
- Bidirectional Glenn
- Fontan
- Heart Valve Repair and Replacement
- Ross Procedure for AVR
- Patent Ductus Arteniosus
- Coarctation of the Aorta Repair
- Systemic to Pulmonary Shunt
- Pediatric Recovery
