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Modern Medicine: Congenital Heart Defects
07/30/10 - 09:47 AM
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Shortness of breath and fatigue can signal a problem with your heart, but our area is home to state of the art procedures to repair heart defects.  When you think of Cardiology, you probably think of heart attacks or stroke, but there are some congenital heart defects that have to be treated as well.  One of those is Atrial Septal Defect or ASD, which is a hole in the heart.

Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Samir Patel says, “It’s a defect in the wall separating the top two chambers of the heart.”  Repairing a defect in the heart wall used to require a major surgery, but now it can be done through a less invasive procedure.

Dr. Patel explains, “In a case of ASD, we go through the venous system. It involves a very small puncture wound in the leg, and we put in a tube and pass all our equipment through that tube.” He says it feels like the patient is getting an IV, and the recovery is minimal compared to traditional surgeries. Patients normally go home the next day.

Less invasive procedures are now being implemented for other heart defects and for blockages. Dr. Patel says our area is lucky to have doctors available that can treat these problems in less invasive ways. He says at one time, only large cities or University settings had technology like this, but it is available here in Bay County as well.