What is a septal defect?

Septal defects are defects in the upper chambers of the heart, usually in what’s called the atrium. There is supposed to always be a wall (if you will) between the left and right atrium. If there’s a septal defect, it means there’s a hole in that wall, allowing communication between the right and left sides. This means the patient is mixing good blood with bad blood, which typically leads to symptoms like dyspnea. People can be short of breath, and people can also have strokes if a tiny clot jumps across that hole.

Because of this, it’s something we look for in people who have had strokes or oxygenation problems. We check for these defects because they’re pretty simple and routine to fix in the cath lab.