Mending Heart Defects Without Major Surgery

Dr. Nik Abraham of North Oaks Cardiology Clinic performed North Oaks Heart Health Services’ first adult Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) closure on January 7.

Dr. Abraham used a minimally invasive procedure to make the repair on the ASD, a heart condition more commonly known as a “hole in the heart.”

Cardiac catheterization can be used to insert a plug into the ASD’s opening. Usually, an overnight hospital stay is all that is required, and recovery time is minimal.

Open-heart surgery must be used when the ASD is unusually positioned or if additional heart defects must be addressed too.

ASD is a birth defect that may cause a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart and allows oxygen-rich blood to leak into the oxygen-poor blood chambers in the heart. This overworks the right side of the heart over time. Symptoms, such as difficulty breathing and heart palpitations, start at birth if the hole is large enough, but ASD has been known to go undetected until adulthood. The severity of symptoms depends on the size and location of the hole. Larger holes, however, can lead to heart failure and death if left untreated.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Abraham, call North Oaks Cardiology at (985) 230-7350 in Hammond or (225) 686-4960 in Livingston.