Particularities of atrial septal defect in adults treated conservatively and surgically

Abstract

Introduction. Atrial septal defect (ASD) represents 13% of congenital heart disease (CHD), with a prevalence of 2 cases per 1000 live births. ASD is often asymptomatic until adulthood, with potential presenting complications: arrthythmias, paradoxical embolization, right atrial (RA) dilatation and right ventricle (RV) dilatation, tricuspid regurgitation, right heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, which can become irreversible and lead to the development of right-toleft shunting (Eisenmenger syndrome).