What should I do if my child has atrial septal defect?

Many people may not know what atrial septal defect means, but if you learn about it, you will find that it is a manifestation of heart deformity. This condition is most likely to occur in younger children. Because it involves heart disease, parents will be particularly worried. In fact, this disease is not uncommon in clinical practice, and there are mature solutions.

What should I do if my child has atrial septal defect?

Atrial septal defect in children refers to a defect in any part of the atrial septum that leads to horizontal communication between the atria. It refers to the hole that appears on the atrial septum, except for the patent foramen ovale. So what should we do if children have atrial septal defect? Next, let’s introduce it in detail.

1. Surgical treatment

For most children with atrial septal defect, even those with mild symptoms or no symptoms, selective treatment will be performed. Generally, infants have good tolerance to the existing atrial septal defect, so elective surgery is usually performed between 2 and 4 years old. There is no benefit in delaying surgery.

2. Transcatheter occlusion therapy

Transcatheter interventional treatment of atrial septal defect is a very advanced surgery. The occlusion device has undergone improvements such as the Rashkind double-sided umbrella, Lock clam shell, and Sideris adjustable button patch. The mushroom-shaped occluder has become a commonly used occlusion device. Echocardiography plays a key role in preoperative screening, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative effect evaluation of transcatheter closure of ASD. This is good news for children with atrial septal defects.

3. For infants and children with atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale, half of the symptoms disappear after 1 to 2 years. Atrial septal defects rarely close spontaneously in children over 3 years old. Children usually recover well. A small number of people are prone to lung infections. In adulthood, physical strength decreases due to pulmonary congestion and pulmonary hypertension.

Therefore, patients must do a good job of nursing after surgery to avoid recurrence of the disease, which is crucial for children with atrial septal defect. It can also be combined with some cardiotonic drugs, such as digitalis drugs and some diuretic drugs such as hydrochlorothiazide for treatment. The editor here reminds everyone to purchase and use the medicine according to the instructions or under the guidance of a pharmacist.