Posted by Atrial Septal Defects (ASD) are holes in the atrial wall, allowing blood to flow from the left to the right atrium, allowing for oxygenated blood to enter deoxygenated blood which causes higher O2 sats. ASD is one of the most common types of heart defects in children, affecting 25% of children. A hole 5 mm or smaller may not develop symptoms and can close by itself within the first year of life. A hole 1 cm or larger usually needs to be surgically closed. At birth, the septum primum and septum secundum tissues close to form the atrial wall; something happens during this closure to cause ASD defects. A common treatment for ASD is surgery called an Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO) Closure. Amplatzer is the device used, it has a similar shape to the head of a stethoscope. It’s a two walled mesh device that can be inserted by a transcatheter, starting from a vein near the groin then up to the heart. Once it’s deployed, the two sides fill in the hole and the heart tissue grows around the device.
