Causes of infant room septal defect

Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

Updated on September 09, 2024

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Atrial septal defect is a relatively common congenital heart disease in infants and young children. The causes of atrial septal defects are not very clear, but modern medicine considers that it may be related to the mother having a cold during pregnancy or taking certain medications, or to certain physical and chemical factors during pregnancy. Generally, atrial septal defects are not inherited and are not largely related to genetics.

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Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

43sec

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Is a 12mm atrial septal defect serious?

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a fairly common congenital heart disease in pediatric cardiology. For infants and young children, atrial septal defects can be categorized based on their size into three types: A large atrial septal defect typically refers to a defect larger than 10 millimeters. A medium atrial septal defect generally refers to a defect that ranges from 5 to 10 millimeters. A small atrial septal defect usually refers to a defect that is less than 5 millimeters. Therefore, for an infant or young child, an atrial septal defect measuring 12 millimeters would indeed be considered quite severe.

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Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

51sec

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Can atrial septal defect be cured?

Atrial septal defect is a common congenital heart disease. When the defect is small, some patients may heal naturally. In recent years, with the development of interventional technology for congenital heart diseases, most patients with atrial septal defects can be completely cured through interventional treatment, and some through surgical treatment. However, some patients have a large atrial septal defect with significant left-to-right shunting, leading to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension and right heart failure, which generally results in a poor prognosis. Some patients also have complications such as atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation. Certain patients may experience right heart failure due to excessive load on the right ventricle, and these patients often have a poor prognosis.

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Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

1min 26sec

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How does septal defect shunt?

Atrial septal defect is the most common congenital heart disease in adults, accounting for 20%-30% of all adult congenital heart conditions. The impact of an atrial septal defect on hemodynamics primarily depends on the amount of shunting. Due to higher pressure in the left atrium compared to the right atrium, a left-to-right shunt is formed. The amount of shunting depends on the size of the defect, as well as the compliance of the left and right ventricles and the relative resistance in the systemic and pulmonary circulations. Diseases that affect the compliance of the left ventricle, such as hypertension and coronary artery disease, can increase the extent of the left-to-right shunt. A continuous increase in pulmonary blood flow leads to pulmonary congestion, increasing the load on the right heart. Pulmonary vascular compliance decreases, progressing from functional pulmonary arterial hypertension to organic pulmonary arterial hypertension. As right heart system pressure continuously increases and eventually exceeds the pressure in the left heart system, the original left-to-right shunt reverses to become a right-to-left shunt, resulting in cyanosis.

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Written by Tong Peng

Pediatrics

46sec

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Will babies with atrial septal defects develop slowly?

Babies with atrial septal defects do not necessarily develop more slowly. An atrial septal defect is one of the congenital heart diseases. If the diameter of the defect is relatively small, it will not affect the normal blood flow of the heart, the oxygen supply to the body, or significantly impact daily activities like sleeping or exercising for the baby. The growth and development of the baby would be normal, with no abnormalities compared to their peers. However, if the diameter of the atrial septal defect is relatively large, typically exceeding 6-8 millimeters, it can cause the baby to experience a lack of oxygen during physical activities, leading to a compromised quality of life and potentially causing delayed development.

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Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

1min 11sec

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Postoperative complications of atrial septal defect intervention surgery

Atrial septal defect is a relatively common congenital heart disease in clinical practice. Minimally invasive interventional treatment can effectively address atrial septal defects and generally leaves no surgical scars. The complications of atrial septal defects can be analyzed from the following aspects: First, puncture complications. Atrial septal defects require the puncture of the femoral vein. A small number of patients may experience complications such as arteriovenous fistula, pseudoaneurysm, or hematoma at the puncture site. Generally, these complications are not serious and do not endanger the patient's life. Second, complications from dislodged occlusion devices. If the occlusion device becomes dislodged, it can lead to serious complications, including obstruction of the relevant blood vessels. Third, hemolytic reactions. A small number of patients may develop hemolytic reactions to the occlusion device. Such complications are also quite serious; however, they are very rare in clinical practice and do not require excessive concern.