ASD closure devices

  My one year old daughter has been diagnosed with ASD and VSD. Although the VSD is small and poses little concern the ASD is 6mm and may require surgery when she is older. We are intrigued with the idea of closure devices but have not been able to locate much info on them as to their effectiveness. Do you have any insights? Thankyou. KP Sherry

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

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Dear Kevin, thank you for your question.  There are ASD closure devices that are being used in certain patients and can be deployed during a cardiac catheterization procedure that does not require surgery.  Dr. Larry Latson is the Chief of the Division of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology here at CCF and he is a noted expert on ASD closure devices.  Thus, I suggest that you call his office at 216-445-6532 for more information.
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.  Good luck.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.   The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.