Should an Atrial Septal Defect be closed?
Decision making in this area is very complex. The Cardiologists and the Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon take many factors into consideration. These factors include the age of the child, the location and the size of the Atrial Septal Defect, the level of lung involvement, the childs gender, and the severity of the enlargement of the right side of the heart. Children with Atrial Septal Defects do not commonly show physical signs of heart failure. Therefore diagnosis of the severity of an Atrial Septal Defect may only be accomplished by having an Echocardiogram and/or a Cardiac Catheterization performed on the child for diagnostic purposes. Children who are not showing signs of right-sided heart failure or enlargement may be followed medically by the Cardiologists, allowing time for the septal defect to possibly close spontaneously. Small ASDs lend themselves too much controversy on the idea of closure. The decision to repair these small defects would depend largely on the philosophy of the Cardi
