Atrial septal defect repair Abroad (ASD or hole in the heart)

With Medtral New Zealand, you can have your ASD repair procedure performed by a highly qualified and experienced English-speaking cardiac specialist, in a world-class private hospital – and enjoy comprehensive aftercare both in hospital and while recuperating in your high quality hotel. Medtral New Zealand makes the whole process of atrial septal defect repair abroad easy by taking care of every detail, so you can focus your energies on getting better.

Affordable atrial septal defect repair abroad

ASD repair can be either surgical or non-surgical, depending on the nature of your condition and the results of your diagnostic tests. Surgery packages cost from US$37,000 (stay in New Zealand approximately 4 weeks). This package price is around 30-40% the cost of the procedure alone in the USA and includes:

return flights from North America (West Coast)
hospital stay in a single room
hotel accommodation after the operation
all surgical procedures and expected medical costs
aftercare in your hotel (nurse visits)
contingency insurance (to cover any serious adverse events).

What is an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)?

While the heart was developing, the walls between the two upper chambers in the heart did not form properly, and the walls failed to join together – leaving a hole. This means that blood can cross from the left side of the heart to the right side, always adding more blood for the right side to pump. The more blood that is diverted, the harder the heart and lungs need to work. Over time this additional stress will lead to a weakening or enlargement of the right side of the heart.

Why is it called an ASD?

Atrial - refers to the upper chambers in the heart

Septal - is the medical word for the wall that divides these 2 chambers

Defect - means that the wall is not perfectly formed and has a defect

How is an ASD diagnosed?

An ASD is most commonly noticed during a routine medical check-up, when a doctor hears an additional sound in the heart (a murmur). The primary diagnostic tests for an ASD are non-invasive and include:

EKG/ECG (a test which measures the electrical changes during the heartbeat)
ultrasound scan of your heart
chest x-ray
cardiac catheterisation (an examination of the inside of the heart using special dyes that show up when exposed to x-rays).

Your heart specialist will outline the best treatment option to repair the hole in your heart after reviewing all your test results. This will be either:

open heart surgery – if the size of the defect is too big or sits too close to the heart valves, then often the defect has to be closed surgically either by stitches or a patch.
a non-surgical procedure called ‘device closure of ASD’. The device is usually wire mesh, which covers the hole.
*Note: Your heart specialist may advise not to close off the hole at all for various reasons.

If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for, please contact us for further information.

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