What Are Holes in the Heart?
A hole in the heart (also called an atrial septal
defect (ASD) or ventricular septal defect (VSD)) is a type of simple
congenital
(kon-JEN-i-tal) heart defect. This is a problem with the heart's structure
that's present at birth.
Congenital
heart defects change the normal flow of blood through the heart.
Your heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall
called the septum. With each heartbeat, the right side of the heart receives
oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the
heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body. The
septum prevents mixing of blood between the two sides of the heart.
Some babies are born with a hole in the upper or
lower septum. A hole in the septum between the heart's upper two chambers (the
atria, pronounced AY-tree-uh) is an ASD. A hole in the septum between the
heart's lower two chambers (the ventricles, pronounced VEN-trih-kuls) is a VSD.
A hole in the septum can allow blood to pass from
the left side of the heart to the right side. This means that oxygen-rich blood
can mix with oxygen-poor blood, causing the oxygen-rich blood to be pumped to
the lungs a second time.
Over the past few decades, the diagnosis and
treatment of ASDs and VSDs have greatly improved. As a result, a child with a
simple heart defect can grow to adulthood and live a normal, active, and
productive life because his or her heart defect closes on its own or has been
repaired.
December 2007
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