Percutaneous Septal Defect Repairs

The wall of the heart is called the septum. When the septum develops a hole, it is called a septal defect. The defect can be in the atrium (ASD, atrial septal defect) or the ventricle (VSD, ventricular septal defect).

Septal defects are present from birth (meaning they are congenital). The ASD is a hole between the top chambers of the heart (atria), and a VSD is a hole between the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles). Symptoms of ASD or VSD are tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, fainting, and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).

A percutaneous septal defect repair is a procedure that closes the holes in the septum through the skin without open surgery. The repair is done in a catheter laboratory (cath lab) and under general anesthesia.

When the procedure begins, a catheter is inserted through the groin and advanced into the heart to the defect. Transesophageal echocardiography is used with the procedure to help guide the catheter. The closure device is a special occluder that is attached to the end of the catheter and is deployed in the defect to plug the hole. An occluder is a flexible wire mesh that allows the endocardium to grow over it. The occluder is permanently attached to prevent blood from traveling through the hole.