title: Symptomatic atrial septal defect in the neonate and infant.
abstract: Atrial septal defect, secundum type, is rarely diagnosed and seldom produces symptoms in infancy. 7 patients, aged between 2 weeks and 8 months, who developed congestive failure, are presented. 6 of them had an atrial LR-shunt documented at cardiac catheterization. 1 diagnosis was made at post mortem in the only infant who died. The clinical signs of an ASD do not vary from those normally found in the older child; the causes for early failure are probably rapidly decreasing pulmonary vascular reistance and disturbances of left ventricular compliance. 6 infants improved with conservative or no treatment, although spontaneous closure or significant diminution of the shunt did not occur. Surgical closure can be deferred to a later optimal age for operation. ASD secundum type should be considered as a cause of heart failure in the neonate and infant.
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004077:Digoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D004232:Diuretics; D004077:Digoxin