New method to repair rare heart defect

Kochi: A new technique for repairing a rare heart defect, sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SV ASD), was successfully demonstrated at a private hospital in the city.
Using the new method, paediatric cardiologist Dr Anil S R could repair defect in a nine-year-old girl's heart without opening it.
SV ASD is a rare variety of congenital heart defect in which there is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart.
While transcatheter occlusion devices are currently used for closing uncomplicated ASDs, such devices are not used for SV ASDs because of the position of the defect and the lack of surrounding tissue to place an occlusion device.
"Usually, the only option for repairing a SV ASD is by approaching the heart through an incision through the sternum, but the patient's family did not want an open heart surgery. So we looked at the defect with a new perspective. We corrected both these abnormalities through non-surgical means," said Anil, senior consultant of paediatric cardiology, Aster MedCity.