Atrial Septal Congenital Heart Defects Essay Example

Atrioventricular Septal congenital heart defects (ASD) are caused by a hole that is found in the septum wall that separates both sides of the heart chamber. The hole causes blood to flow improperly from the left atrium to the right atrium instead of into the left ventricle. (Thompson).
Symptoms of ASDs are dependent upon the size of the hole. If the hole is small there will typically be no symptoms in early childhood and small holes often will close on their own as the child grows. If the hole is medium to large in size, it can produce symptoms in infants such as, “cyanosis, heart failure, recurrent respiratory infections, or failure to thrive.” (Thompson). Medium and large ASDs require either a heart catherization or open heart surgery to close the hole.
ASDs are often found in utero before birth and early childhood using echocardiography. Ultrasound findings are able “to determine the presence, location, size, and haemodynamic characteristics of atrial septal defects” (Geva). The use of color imaging can be done in two-dimensional format to pinpoint the exact location and size of the defect and the direction of blood flow. Three-dimensional imaging can view the defect from the right and left atrium to indicate more detailed analysis of the size, shape, and location of the ASD.

Works Cited

Geva, Tal, Jose D. Martins, and Rachel M. Wald. "Atrial Septal Defects." The Lancet 383.9932 (2014): 1921-32. ProQuest. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Thompson, Erin. “Atrial Septal Defect” Journal of American Academy of Physician Assistants 26.6 (2013): 53-54. Ovid. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.