Clinical and Physiologic Changes Following Surgical Closure of Atrial Septal Defect

¹ The Rumel Chest Clinic; The Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the Cardiovascular Laboratory, Latter-day Saints Hospital.

Twenty-five consecutive patients with atrial septal defects have been carefully evaluated clinically and by cardiac catheterization both before and after surgical repair of the defect. Critical review of the data indicates that successful closure of an atrial septal defect results in prompt and significant improvement in symptoms, physical findings, objective laboratory tests, and cardiovascular dynamics. It appears that physiologic abnormalities return to normal or near normal promptly after the defect is closed. Thus, atrial septal defect appears to be a readily curable lesion.