Atrial septal defect is a condition in which the septum or the wall of the atria has a hole or known as the defect. This is a normal feature when the infant is in the womb since this hole allows a passage to oxygenated blood to nourish the lungs. This hole in the atria normally closes when the baby is delivered. But if it does not close, that’s when Atrial Septal defect comes in. A shunt will form as characterized with blood that continues to go back and forth between the two heart chambers. The hole can be very small or very big and thus requires surgery.

The signs and symptoms

A small hole would not create enough symptoms but these symptoms may accompany Atrial septal defect:
• dyspnea
• palpitations
• shortness of breath
• frequent respiratory tract infections
• easily gets tires

The cause
The cause of atrial septal defect is not known but the closest cause are the alterations of the genes or it might be genes combined with some risk factors.

Diagnostic Tests

Atrial septal defect can be diagnosed during pregnancy this can be done with prenatal check-ups such as in ultrasound. The doctor will then check the defect and determine what kind of treatment to provide. The doctor or examiner may find abnormal heart sounds thru a stethoscope and heart murmurs are commonly heard. Murmurs are indications of an underlying heart problem since this means that the blood flow us not smoothly flowing instead it is turbulent. Echocardiogram is done to visualize the heart moving. This test uses sound waves which makes the test not invasive at all. Cardiac catheterization may also be done to assist with the defect and coronary angiography for patients older than 35 years old. Doppler, magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and ECG may also be done to appropriately determine the heart’s condition. There are some cases that atrial septal defect remains unnoticed until the adult stage

Treatment

Atrial septal defect may not need treatment when the defect is small or it creates no symptoms at all. But for large defects, surgery may be required to close the hole and normalize the blood flow and circulation. A Dacron patch will be used to close the defect but not all are allowed to undergo operation. Cardiac catheterization or open heart surgeru could be done to fix the defect. Some specific criteria is required to qualify for the operation such as the age, the size of the hole and the presence of other conditions. After the operation, the patient is treated with antibiotics to prevent complications. Some post op management are also observed.

Atrial septal defect if not treated can lead to atrial fibrillation, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and stroke. The only way to prevent these is to have early detection to immediately treat the atrial septal defect.for management of some complications such as atrial fibrillation free bls certification might be provided to health care workers by their hospital or company.