When educating the family of an infant with a small, asymptomatic atrial septal defect (ASD), what information would be included in the education?

When educating the family about this condition, the first thing is to explain to them in the simplest way what this disease means. Although this condition does not have a known cause, the risk of a baby being born with ASD is if the mother had rubella during pregnancy or if a family member has had ASD.

The second is to explain the symptoms, how to diagnose it and how to treat this health condition. Finally, the care you need to take care of the affected child.

Explanation:

A ASD is a perforation in the wall of one of the upper chambers of the heart. The perforation can be small or large. This health condition causes the heart to work harder than normal to be able to pump the blood.

Although symptoms may not appear, some that may appear are: Frequent colds, chest pain, excessive tiredness when eating, bluish color on the lips or fingernails when crying, etc.

If the ASD is small, the perforation may close on its own during the first year of the baby's life. Some tips to take care of a child with this condition are the following: Do not smoke near your child, provide foods that are healthy for the heart, such as fruits, vegetables, canola oil, olive oil, limit physical activity of the child, especially exercises that are exhausting and finally, apply their vaccines in a timely manner.