Department of Inpatient Cardiology, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, TX 75235, USA. lindy.moake@childrens.com
Atrial septal defects have traditionally been repaired by surgical closure. Recently, transcatheter device closure has increasingly been used with excellent results. Although there is limited comparative research evaluating long-term outcomes of the transcatheter technique, preliminary data reveal significantly fewer complications and shorter hospital stays than those reported for surgical repair. This article reviews relevant literature comparing efficacy, cost, and complications of the transcatheter device procedures with the surgical closure of ASDs.