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The first is the foramen ovale (the valve present between them called eustachian valve) which shunts blood from the right atrium to the left atrium. The second is the ductus arteriosus which shunts blood from the pulmonary artery (which, after birth, carries blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs) to the descending aorta.
Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart defect in which blood flows between the atria (upper chambers) of the heart.Some flow is a normal condition both pre-birth and immediately post-birth via the foramen ovale; however, when this does not naturally close after birth it is referred to as a patent (open) foramen ovale (PFO).
In normal development, the closed foramen ovale fuses with the interatrial wall. During the first breath, vasoconstriction causes the ductus arteriosus to close, and during adult years, tissue occludes what once was the ductus arterious, creating the ligamentum arteriosum. [3]
But for about 25% of people, the opening doesn't close, the American Heart Association estimates. Often people remain unaware they have one unless they experience a heart attack or stroke.
The operation is performed under general anesthesia. The four pulmonary veins are reconnected to the left atrium, and any associated heart defects such as atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, patent foramen ovale, and/or patent ductus arteriosus are surgically closed. With obstruction, surgery should be undertaken urgently.
The foramen ovale is a hole in the atrial septum which allows blood from the right atrium to flow into the left atrium; after birth, the left atrium will be filled with blood returning from the lungs and the foramen ovale will close. The ductus arteriosus is a small, artery-like structure which allows blood to flow from the trunk of the ...
Before birth, it does not fuse with the septum intermedium, leaving a gap to form the foramen ovale. [1] Shortly after birth, it fuses with the septum primum to form the interatrial septum, and the foramen ovale is closed. [1] The fossa ovalis denotes the free margin of the septum secundum after birth.
[citation needed] It is thought ASD is caused by the failure to close the hole (foramen ovale) between the right and left atrium normally found within the heart during fetal development; the creation of a hole between the atrium may also be acquired. There are two types of ASD: Ostium secundum and ASD Primum.