1.What is atrial septal defect? Atrial septal defect is abbreviated as atrial defect. Our normal heart has 4 chambers: left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle. There is a space between the two chambers called the atrial septum, which is like a wall in the middle of a house, and in a normal person, this wall is intact. If the wall is not complete due to some factors during the development of the fetal heart and there is a hole in it, it is an atrial septal defect. Atrial septal defects are divided into two categories, one is the secondary hole (two holes) type atrial septal defects, one is the primary hole (one hole) type atrial septal defects, we often say that atrial septal defects are the secondary hole type atrial septal defects, and today we only discuss this category. 2.What are the symptoms of atrial septal defect? Most of the children do not have any symptoms; some of them will have shortness of breath, less activity than other children, and get tired easily; a few heavier children will have difficulty in feeding, slow weight gain, easy to catch a cold, and recurrent pneumonia when they are small. 3.How to diagnose atrial fibrillation? Many children are diagnosed by heart murmur detected by auscultation during vaccination and physical examination or hospital visit when they are sick, and then heart ultrasound is done to confirm the diagnosis. If parents find that their children have the above symptoms, they can go to the cardiology department to let the doctor listen to them, and if necessary, have a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) to confirm the diagnosis. 4. What treatments are available for atrial septal defect? Currently, the most commonly used treatment methods for atrial septal defects are: ①. Median sternotomy atrial defect repair. Advantages: the most classic surgical method, safe, suitable for any operation, all the combined deformities can be solved at the same time; Disadvantages: need to open the chest, not beautiful. ②. Small incision on the right side for atrial defect repair. Advantage: hidden wound; Disadvantage: need to open the chest. ③. Various small incision atrial defect sealing surgery. Advantages: minimally invasive, small wounds, fast recovery; Disadvantages: still have wounds, only suitable for some atrial defects. ④. Classical atrial occlusion. Advantages: minimally invasive, no incision, fast recovery; disadvantages: there are rays, only suitable for some atrial defects. ⑤. Ultrasound-guided atrial defect occlusion. Advantages: non-invasive, no incision, no radiation, fast recovery; Disadvantages: only suitable for some atrial defects. 5. When should surgery be performed? If the atrial defect is small, for example, the diameter is less than 1cm, and the child does not have any symptoms, the surgery can be chosen before school age; if the child has a large defect, the weight gain is very slow, or there is recurrent pneumonia, it is necessary to operate as early as possible, and in some cases, the surgery is needed even before half a year of age. 6.Can atrial defects heal on their own? Atrial defects with small size may heal on their own. Generally, atrial defects with a size of less than 5 millimeters have a higher possibility of healing within 1 year, and also within 2 years of age, but the possibility of healing after 3 years of age is smaller; atrial defects with a size of less than 10 millimeters can be observed after 2 years of age if there is no symptom; atrial defects with a size of 10 millimeters or more basically do not heal on their own. 7. Do all atrial defects require surgery? Atrial defects within 5mm are like oval holes, even if they don’t heal on their own, they basically don’t have any effect on the heart, so they don’t need to be operated. However, a very small number of people will experience paradoxical embolism, in which case surgery is needed to seal it.