Congenital heart disease
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Congenital heart disease · May 2012
Transcatheter closure of secundum atrial septal defect in infants less than 12 months of age improves symptoms of chronic lung disease.
Device closure of secundum type atrial septal defects in young children has now become common with extension of this practice to children less than 1 year of age. We hypothesized that patients less than 12 months of age with moderate increases in pulmonary blood flow due to atrial septal defects may improve clinically with device closure, particularly premature infants with chronic lung disease. ⋯ Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects in infants can be safe, effective, and may be indicated for situations in which the left to right shunt may be implicated as a cause of ongoing chronic lung disease. Moderate increases in pulmonary blood flow due to atrial septal defects may have a negative clinical impact regarding continuing respiratory insufficiency in these patients.