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Some people are born with a hole in their heart called an atrial septal defect (ASD). While larger holes can cause symptoms and increase your risk of stroke, treatment at the Center for Structural Heart Disease can help you live a healthy life.
Our team offers the range of expertise you need for your care, from advanced imaging to minimally invasive ASD treatment. We can often repair your heart without the need for open-heart surgery.
This rare heart defect occurs in the wall (septum) between the heart’s two upper chambers (atria). The septum sometimes does not develop properly when a baby is in the womb. This can leave a hole.
Smaller holes don’t have much impact on blood flow or the heart or lungs. But oxygen-rich blood meant for the body can flow through larger holes and mix with oxygen-depleted blood. The blood goes back into the lungs and forces the heart to work harder to pump. The extra blood flow can also cause fluid buildup in the lungs and damage them over time.
Larger atrial septal defects can increase your risk for stroke, from tiny blood clots that develop in our veins. Normally, these clots travel through the veins into the heart and lungs. Tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the lungs then filter out the blood clots.
With ASD, the clots can go through larger holes in the heart. They may then travel through the arteries to the brain and cause a stroke.
ASD is a congenital heart defect, meaning it’s present at birth. Doctors often don’t know why the septum fails to fully develop.
If you have an atrial septal defect, you may not experience symptoms until adulthood. In fact, some people may not have symptoms if the opening is small. If the hole is larger, the most common symptoms are a heart murmur (an unusual sound during a heartbeat) and mild shortness of breath.
If it’s not repaired, a large ASD can damage the heart and lungs over time. You may eventually experience symptoms of heart failure in adulthood, including:
Some people come to us with an existing ASD diagnosis. Others may experience symptoms and come to us to determine the cause. Either way, we start your care with a thorough evaluation.
For your first visit, you can choose to come to our main campus, Henry Ford Hospital, Jackson (Henry Ford Allegiance), Clinton Township (Henry Ford Macomb), or West Bloomfield (Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital). During this visit, your doctor meets with you to:
After your evaluation, your interventional cardiologist works with you to develop a customized treatment plan. Your plan may include a minimally invasive procedure or open-heart surgery to close the hole. If you have a large ASD, you could still benefit from having it closed as an adult.
The treatment our team suggests may include the following:
Let us help you schedule an appointment.
Know your heart risk in just 5 minutes! Take our Get Heart Smart quiz today and you will get a personalized heart risk report that could help you live healthier and longer.
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