During a routine check-up at 7 months old, Max's pediatrician noticed a very slight heart murmur. He ordered an EKG for Max to make sure there was no serious problem. The EKG showed a hole about the size of a quarter (which is pretty big for a little guy like Max). The "official" term is an ASD (Atrial Septal Defect).What It Is: The septum is a wall that separates the heart's left and right sides. A defect between the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) is called an atrial septal defect (ASD).
When there is a large defect between the atria, a large amount of oxygen-rich blood leaks from the heart's left side back to the right side. Then this blood is pumped back to the lungs, despite already having been refreshed with oxygen. This is inefficient, because already-oxygenated blood displaces blood that needs oxygen. If this defect is not repaired, over time, the body and it's organs wil begin to suffer because they are not getting the necessary out-flow of oxygen.
We were told then that it would need to be repaired. Though, immediate surgery was not necessary, it did need to be done.
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