Is transcatheter device occlusion as good as open heart surgery for closure of atrial septal defects?
A 6 year old boy is found to have a fixed split second heart sound and a systolic murmur heard best at the left upper sternal border on routine physical examination. The presence of a secundum atrial septal defect is confirmed by echocardiography. The attending cardiologist recommends closure via transcatheter device placement. The studious paediatric resident remembers reading in the most recent edition of the Nelson textbook of pediatrics that open heart surgery is also an acceptable option.
