Scott & White Hospital – Round Rock performs first non-surgical repair of a congenital heart defect in Williamson County, Tx
Minimally-invasive procedure closes defect without open-heart surgery

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Scott & White Hospital – Round Rock recently became the first hospital in Williamson County to perform a procedure on a patient with a congenital heart defect called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). ASD’s are found in about one in every 1,500 live births and are more common in women.

“This minimally invasive procedure allows patients with ASD to undergo a repair of their congenital abnormality avoiding open-heart surgery,” says Rafael Gonzalez, M.D., director of cardiology at Scott & White Hospital – Round Rock. “This abnormal communication between the upper chambers of the heart can lead to various symptoms and long-term complications, including arrhythmias, heart failure, and stroke.”

In this defect, the wall that separates the upper heart chambers (atrial septum) does not close completely allowing shunting of the oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart back into the pulmonary circulation. This increased blood flow into the lungs can lead to pulmonary hypertension and eventually heart failure.

In this procedure, a Georgetown resident underwent a successful repair of an ASD without debilitating or painful surgery. The procedure took a little over an hour and the patient was discharged the next day.

“Our patient had history of a heart murmur and developed progressive shortness of breath over the last few months. He was evaluated at Scott & White’s Sun City Clinic in Georgetown where the defect was found after performing an echocardiogram. The patient was then referred to Scott & White – Round Rock for further assessment. After a detailed evaluation, the patient was considered a good candidate for closure of the defect” says Angel Caldera, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist at Scott & White– Round Rock.

The ASD closure procedure is performed in a Cardiac Catheterization Lab involving a small needle cut in the groin (percutaneous). Catheters are then inserted into a large vein and up into the heart. With the use of X-ray and ultrasound imaging, the catheters are manipulated inside the heart and used to place a device designed to close the gap between the two upper heart chambers. “This is a long-awaited treatment to a potentially debilitating health condition and we are now able to offer this less invasive treatment option to our patients who benefit from a quick recovery and can get back to work within days” says Dr. Gonzalez.

About Scott & White Healthcare (roundrock.sw.org)
Scott & White Healthcare is a not-for-profit health care system established in 1897. Scott & White is the principal clinical teaching facility affiliated with the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, with a Temple campus that includes a four-year medical curriculum. Along with its 636-bed flagship hospital and clinic facility in Temple, Texas, Scott & White includes nine other hospitals or hospital partners, and more than 50 clinic locations throughout Central Texas. With more than 800 physicians and scientists, Scott & White has become one of the nation's largest multi-specialty group practice systems.

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