NewYork-Presbyterian. The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell.

Find A Physician

Return to Closure of Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Foramen Ovale Overview

Hospital News

Return to Closure of Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Foramen Ovale Overview

Research and Clinical Trials

Return to Closure of Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Foramen Ovale Overview

Health Library

Return to Closure of Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Foramen Ovale Overview

Clinical Services

Return to Closure of Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Foramen Ovale Overview

Closure of Atrial Septal Defect and Patent Foramen Ovale

An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a particular type of "hole in the heart". It is an abnormal opening in the wall (septum) that separates the two atria of the heart. Atrial septal defects are divided into several categories, depending on their location. Those of the secundum type, for example, occur near the middle of the wall. A patent foramen ovale is a similar connection between the atria that results when an opening that occurs as a part of normal development in the fetus fails to close after birth. This defect can sometimes cause chest pain, shortness of breath, migraines and stroke.

Closure of these types of ASDs can be accomplished using open-heart surgery. However, at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, our interventional cardiologists offer a minimally invasive approach for repair of secundum type atrial septal defects and patent foramen ovale. In this procedure, a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin and is guided to the heart, where it is used to deliver a tiny umbrella-shaped "patch" that is inserted into the opening. This approach avoids surgery and use of the heart-lung machine. The procedure only requires an overnight stay in the hospital; patients can return to work within a day or two.