Atrial Septal Defect

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is an abnormal communication between the atria (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rote, 2010, p. 1219). It is considered as the fourth most common congenital heart defect, comprising about 5% to 10% of all congenital cardiac defects. The causes of ASD remains unknown, but it was thought that genetics play a role. A person with no other heart defect, or a small defect (less than 5 millimeters) may remain asymptomatic, or manifest symptoms later in life ("MedlinePlus," 2014). Most children with ASD are asymptomatic and rarely display any symptoms of pulmonary overcirculation. Since children do not manifest any symptoms of this condition, discovery of it is sometimes incidental, usually during routine physical examination. A crescendo-decrescendo systolic ejection murmur, which is auscultated between the second and third intercostal spaces along the left sternal border is a sign that alerts the healthcare provider to pursue work-up of the suspicious murmur. In order to confirm the diagnosis, an ECG and …show more content…
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