Minimally Invasive Repair of Heart Defects

A septal defect is a hole located in an inner wall of your heart, called the septum, which separates the left and right side of the heart.  An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole within the muscular wall that separates the heart’s two upper chambers.

Normally, the right side of your heart will pump low-oxygenated blood to the lungs; the left side of the heart then pumps the oxygen-rich blood out to the body. When an ASD is present, the blood from both sides can mix and as a result, some oxygen-rich blood is pumped to the lungs instead of out to the body. Some people with ASDs are at a greater risk for serious health problems, such as stroke, pulmonary hypertension, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure. 

A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a hole within the muscular wall that separates the heart’s two lower chambers, called ventricles. Many VSDs will close within the first year of life and do not require treatment. If a VSD remains open into adulthood, it carries a higher risk of heart valve problems, heart failure or abnormal heart rhythms.

The foramen ovale is a small opening between the left and right chambers of the heart. Everyone is born with this opening; its purpose is to allow blood flow into the heart of a developing fetus.

Typically, this hole closes a few months after birth, but for about 25 percent of the population, it remains open; this is called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). While some people with PFOs live healthy lives, others are at a greater risk for serious health problems, such as heart attack and stroke.