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Atrial Septal Defect Symptoms, What Are They? - Dr. Aklog (VIDEO)

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More Videos from Dr. Lishan Aklog 30 videos in this series

Atrial Septal Defect Symptoms, What Are They? - Dr. Aklog (VIDEO)
Atrial Septal Defect Symptoms, What Are They? - Dr. Aklog (VIDEO)
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Dr. Aklog describes the symptoms associated with an atrial septal defect/ASD.

Dr. Aklog:
An atrial septal defect, or a hole between the atrial chambers or receiving chambers of the heart, the symptoms really depend on how big the hole is. The symptoms, there may be no symptoms, and it’s actually quite common for a patient to have no symptoms and for this to be only picked up on a routine physical exam or a routine echocardiogram.

If the hole is big enough, then it can cause symptoms of congestive heart failure, mild congestive heart failure where the patient feels shorter breath or develops edema, buildup of fluid in the body. One other concerning potential symptom of an atrial septal defect is a stroke or mini-stroke. Because the hole is between the right and the left side of the heart, small blood clots or other types of material can break off at the right side of the heart and make it over to the left side of the heart and end up going to the brain and causing a stroke.

About Dr. Aklog, M.D.:
Dr. Lishan Aklog is the current Director and Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at The Heart and Lung Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona and Director of EmpowHer's Medical Advisory Board. Specializing in adult cardiac care, he graduated from Harvard College followed by Harvard Medical School. Dr. Aklog was a cardiothoracic resident at Brigham and Women’s/Boston Children’s Hospital, an Associate Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and completed international fellowships in London, England and Paris, France.

View Dr. Aklog Videos:
https://www.empowher.com/users/dr-lishan-aklog

Visit Dr. Aklog at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center

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