Secundum atrial septal defects: time to close them all?

There are an estimated 250 000 adults with congenital heart disease in the UK. Atrial septal defect is the most common congenital heart condition diagnosed in adulthood. Management of this defect has been much debated but within the last decade a number of studies have shown that there are clear benefits to closing ASDs, even at a late stage. Untreated atrial septal defects can be a cause of significant morbidity including arrhythmia, right-sided heart failure, thromboembolism, pulmonary hypertension and potentially pulmonary vascular disease. The increasingly prevalent use of percutanous devices to close secundum defects has enhanced the attractiveness of the closure option for patients and clinicians alike. While to date, short-term outcomes have been encouraging, greater follow up is needed if the long-term effects of device closure are to be properly understood. This article addresses the presentation and management of atrial septal defects and late complications in defects that go untreated. It argues that while atrial septal defects may be regarded as ‘simple’ management is not always straight forward, and they can, if left untreated, significantly influence morbidity and mortality.

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Secundum atrial septal defects: time to close them all?

Cited by 2 publications

References 33 publications

Progressive Pulmonary Hypertension Post Atrial Septal Defect Device Closure—Early Symptomatic Improvement may not Predict Outcome

Progressive Pulmonary Hypertension Post Atrial Septal Defect Device Closure—Early Symptomatic Improvement may not Predict Outcome

Atrial septal defects: Not always so simple

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