Prof. Dr. Ali Serdar Fak
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- 29+years exp.
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Cardiac Surgery
Atrial Septal Defect Treatment in Turkey
An atrial septal defect is a congenital heart condition featuring an abnormal opening in the wall separating the heart's upper chambers. It affects infants, children, and adults, frequently causing shortness of breath, fatigue, or heart palpitations that lead patients to consult a doctor. Corrective or monitoring options depend on an in-depth cardiac assessment by a cardiology specialist. Compare hospitals in Turkey that treat Atrial Septal Defect and get a free review of your medical records.
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Dr. Bülent İlçöl
Cardiac SurgeryVerified
- 25+years exp.
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About Atrial Septal Defect
An atrial septal defect is a congenital heart condition featuring an abnormal opening in the wall separating the heart's upper chambers. It affects infants, children, and adults, frequently causing shortness of breath, fatigue, or heart palpitations that lead patients to consult a doctor. Corrective or monitoring options depend on an in-depth cardiac assessment by a cardiology specialist.
Specialty: Cardiac Surgery
Treatment options
Depending on the stage and your medical history, doctors may recommend:
Best Clinics for Atrial Septal Defect Treatment in Turkey
Frequently asked questions
The cost of treating Atrial Septal Defect depends on the diagnosis and the treatment chosen. Doctors first review your medical records — free of charge — and you then receive an itemised quote.
Options may include Atrial Septal Defect Surgery. Your doctor chooses the approach after reviewing your tests and scans.
Atrial Septal Defect is treated by Cardiac Surgery specialists. 2 clinics in Turkey on our platform offer this treatment.
What Is an Atrial Septal Defect and What Are Its Symptoms?
An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart condition featuring an abnormal opening in the interatrial septum, the wall separating the heart's upper chambers. This allows oxygenated blood from the left atrium to shunt into the right atrium. Over time, the resulting volume overload causes enlargement of the right heart chambers and increases blood flow to the lungs, which may lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Defects are classified anatomically as ostium secundum (the most common form), ostium primum, sinus venosus, or unroofed coronary sinus defects. While some cases are identified during paediatric assessments, many individuals remain symptom-free until adulthood. When symptoms occur, they frequently include:
- Shortness of breath during exertion.
- Persistent fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance.
- Heart palpitations or atrial arrhythmias.
- Recurrent chest infections.
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, or abdomen.
- Transient ischaemic attack or stroke caused by paradoxical embolism.
How Atrial Septal Defect Is Diagnosed
Accurate assessment determines whether closure is required and guides technique selection. Hospitals in Turkey conduct thorough non-invasive and invasive evaluations within dedicated check-ups and diagnostics departments.
Hospital Diagnostic Tests
- Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE): Confirms the shunt, assesses right ventricular enlargement, and estimates pulmonary artery pressures.
- Transoesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE): Provides high-resolution imaging of defect margins, measuring tissue rims to assess suitability for device closure.
- Agitated Saline Contrast Study: Bubble injection confirms the presence and direction of intracardiac shunting.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): Detects conduction delays, right bundle branch block, or atrial arrhythmias.
- Cardiac MRI or CT: Quantifies shunt volume (Qp:Qs ratio) and visualises pulmonary venous connections.
- Right Heart Catheterisation: Measures pulmonary vascular resistance directly when pulmonary hypertension is suspected.
Records to Bring from Home
Patients should bring recent echocardiogram reports, raw DICOM imaging discs (CD/USB), past ECGs, baseline blood results, and a list of all current medications. Translating documents into English or Turkish facilitates prompt review.
Treatment Options for Atrial Septal Defect
Intervention is recommended when significant right heart enlargement or substantial shunting exists. Procedures are delivered by multidisciplinary teams in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology. Final recommendations depend on clinical evaluation by the treating doctor.
| Option | Typically used when | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| Catheter Device Closure | Secundum ASDs with sufficient surrounding tissue rims (typically over 5 mm) and normal pulmonary veins. | Inserted via the femoral vein; occluder device seals the defect; requires one night in hospital and six months of antiplatelet medication. |
| Minimally Invasive Surgery | Defects unsuitable for percutaneous devices where anatomy permits a right mini-thoracotomy approach. | Requires cardiopulmonary bypass; avoids full sternotomy, reducing surgical trauma and shortening wound healing time. |
| Open Surgical Patch Repair | Primum, sinus venosus, unroofed coronary sinus defects, or secundum defects with deficient rims. | Performed via median sternotomy with heart-lung machine; uses pericardial or synthetic patches; allows concurrent valve or vascular reconstruction. |
| Active Monitoring | Small defects without right ventricular dilation, significant shunting, or symptoms. | Periodic echocardiographic surveillance to confirm heart chambers remain stable without intervention. |
For individuals with concurrent respiratory conditions, evaluation alongside pulmonology and thoracic surgery specialists ensures safe procedural planning.
Planning Your Treatment and Travel to Turkey
Arranging cardiac care abroad involves coordinated steps. Prior to departure, Turkish clinical teams evaluate submitted echocardiography and imaging records to confirm feasibility and offer an initial procedural plan.
Duration of Stay in Turkey
The required duration of stay depends on the chosen procedure:
- Catheter Closure: Usually requires 7 to 10 days in Turkey, including pre-operative consultations, one hospital night, and post-procedure echocardiogram checks before flight clearance.
- Surgical Repair: Typically requires 14 to 21 days, covering detailed pre-surgical assessment, 4 to 7 hospital days (with intensive care observation), and post-discharge clinic visits to inspect wound healing and cardiac function.
Recovery and Care at Home
Patients receive comprehensive discharge summaries, imaging copies, and medication guidance. Catheter closure recipients generally take antiplatelet therapy for six months while the occluder endothelialises. Antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental procedures may be indicated during the initial six months. Participating in a home-based cardiac rehabilitation programme supports safe resumption of exercise. Follow-up echocardiograms are typically scheduled at 1, 6, and 12 months with your local cardiologist.
When Travel Is Not Advisable and Emergency Warning Signs
Certain cardiovascular conditions make long-distance travel unsafe. Commercial flight environments involve reduced barometric pressure and mild hypoxia, which can aggravate advanced cardiopulmonary pathology. Travel should be postponed if you have severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (Eisenmenger syndrome), decompensated heart failure, or unstable arrhythmias.
Seek urgent medical attention locally if you experience:
- Severe or sudden shortness of breath at rest.
- Chest pain, pressure, or rapid palpitations associated with light-headedness or fainting.
- Sudden neurological deficits such as facial asymmetry, speech difficulty, or limb weakness.
- Bluish tinge to the lips or fingers (cyanosis).
- Rapid swelling of the lower limbs or abdomen accompanied by sudden weight gain.
Always obtain explicit travel clearance from your cardiologist before embarking on medical travel.
Frequently asked questions
Small atrial septal defects diagnosed during infancy frequently close spontaneously as the child grows. However, defects that persist into adulthood or measure larger than eight millimetres rarely close without medical intervention. If a persistent defect causes right heart enlargement or symptoms, interventional closure or surgical repair is typically recommended to prevent long-term complications such as pulmonary hypertension and heart rhythm disorders.
The choice between catheter-based device closure and surgical repair depends on the defect's anatomical classification, dimensions, and location. Secundum defects with adequate rim margins of surrounding tissue are generally suitable for transcatheter occluders. In contrast, primum defects, sinus venosus defects, or very large openings lacking sufficient rims require surgical patch closure. Your treating cardiologist and cardiac surgeon evaluate transoesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging before recommending the most appropriate procedure.
Flight clearance depends on the procedure performed. Patients who undergo uncomplicated transcatheter device closure are usually cleared to fly home within seven to ten days, once post-procedure echocardiograms confirm stable device placement. Those undergoing surgical repair typically require 14 to 21 days in Turkey before flying. This extended period ensures adequate wound healing, monitoring of heart rhythms, and removal of surgical sutures or drains before commercial air travel.
Most patients do not require lifelong cardiac medications purely because of defect repair. Following catheter closure, antiplatelet therapy such as aspirin is typically prescribed for six months to prevent blood clot formation on the device until endothelial tissue covers it. Antibiotic prophylaxis may also be advised before dental work during this initial period. Continued medication is generally only necessary if pre-existing arrhythmias, elevated pulmonary pressures, or hypertension persist after the procedure.
Yes. An untreated atrial septal defect carries a risk of paradoxical embolism. Blood clots that originate in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis can occasionally pass through the septal opening from the right atrium directly into the left atrium. From there, the clot can travel into the cerebral circulation, causing a transient ischaemic attack or thromboembolic stroke. Repairing the defect significantly reduces this risk by eliminating the abnormal passage.