ASD AND PDA REPAIR... hershey or Chop

[cheyanne12]

Hello all...

Our three year old son, Noah, is going to need to have his ASD and PDA closed up. We've been given the option of open heart surgery or catheterization using the aplatzer septal occluder and a coil. One surgeon said he was not for the catheterization because the devices are new and who is to say what the future will bring, but he is for surgery and that is what he does. The cardiologist is for what he does, catheterization.

So we are going for yet another opinion at CHOP. I was told that once a cardiologist at CHOP says catheterization, then the surgeon is behind the cardiologist. I've had the same questions on the devices and to what the future may bring. When you read about the devices, and you see what could go wrong, well... it's scary either way.

We waited over two years to adopt our son with Down syndrome and he has iris and retina coloboma in his one eye.

They say there are less risks with the catheterization, but that is based on only how many years of study? I'm sure there are other families out there who have gone down this road.

We'd love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Suz
wife to David, Mommy to Savannah, Curtis, Brandon, Nathan and Noah (ds)

[marisa]

My daughter had the ASD repair done at CHOP via cathater with the aplatzer septal occluder. her hole was 9mm. Before the proceedure the surgeon said he would take a look down her throat with another device to make sure he was able to do it before putting the cath. in. He said there has to be tissue on either side of where the device was going. We had a good experience there and would recomend CHOP to anyone. A boy in my sister-in-laws family just had a transplant there 2 months ago and was skating at a birthday party last weekend!!
Anyway, Laura did great and was back to herself by the next afternoon. I will pm with my email and #.

Marisa

[SuziF]

Hershey is top notch too...a teaching & research arm of Penn State. Many major heart milestones have come out of there.

Suzi

[logansmom]

I don't know much about either hospital, but Logan had his ASD closed with a catheterization procedure when he was about 28 months old. Technically, it was considered "outpatient," but in reality we spent 23 hours at the hospital (outpatient for insurance; inpatient for doctors). Logan had no complications and he's doing great now.

Kim, Logan (Ds, 4) and Carson (21 months)