Atrial septal defects in adults. Experience of surgical results at the Carlos Andrade Marín Hospital for 13 years. High or low morbidity and mortality?

Abstract

Introduction: The population of adults with congenital heart disease has increased in recent decades. Congenital heart disease, atrial septal defect (ASD) type, can lead to symptoms such as exercise intolerance with significant disability in a previously asymptomatic patient. Symptoms usually start from the fourth decade of life. Surgical repair has low mortality at an early age (<1% in patients without significant comorbidity) and good long-term results.

Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study, considering all cases of atrial septal defect underwent surgery in adults (> 18 years), from January 2003 to June 2015, assessing the surgical benefit in the short and medium term, and evaluating improvement, deterioration or maintenance of functional class, determination of residual shunt, size and function of the right ventricle, tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary artery pressure by transthoracic echocardiography and assessment of arrhythmias known or background.

Results and discussion: A total of 163 patients were collected from all cardiac surgeries performed in the period described, of which the most representative group was the women (n = 114) compared to males (n = 49) . Of these it was found that; Surgical Benefit: it was 100% in all operated without mortality data; Functional Class: 14 patients returned to functional class II to I (28% improvement in functional class II), 3 patients underwent functional class III to II (100% improvement in NYHA functional class III), and 17 patients (13,38%) joined functional class I, from the previous 110 patients who had. In all cases it was possible to perform a control transthoracic echocardiography at 3 and 6 months, except for those who were operated in 2015, and the end result can be concluded that; Right Ventricular Function (TAPSE): improved in 17 cases after surgery, with 9 patients within the first three months and 8 patients at 6 months; whereas Systolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure (SPAP): improved in 26 cases. Documented 4 types of Arrhythmias, 2 bradyarrhythmias (II degree AV block and AV Total Lock) and 2 tachyarrhythmias (atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter), which merited management and control without increasing morbidity or complicate documented.

Conclusions: Surgical repair of an ASD in adults in our institution has a zero mortality and good results with normal life expectancy and low morbidity in the short, medium and long term. The result is better if the repair is performed in patients under 30 years. The closure of the CIA after 40 years seems not affect the frequency of arrhythmias during follow-up. However, patients benefit closure at any age when it refers to morbidity (exercise capacity, breathlessness, right heart failure, cerebrovascular disease).