Hypoxia and Cyanosis due to Unusual Right-to-Left Shunt in a Patient with an Atrial Septal Defect

Filipa Melao
2015 Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases & Diagnosis  
Hypoxia due to an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), without Eisenmenger physiology, is reported rarely and may be underestimated due to difficulty in its diagnosis. We report the case of a 67-year-old woman with chronic cyanosis and hypoxia, in whom a large ASD was diagnosed by cardiac catheterization after an extensive workup to clarify the aetiology of the hypoxia. The right-to-left shunt at the ASD occurred probably due to a well-developed Eustachian valve, partly directing the right atrial flow
more » ... to the left atrium, in the absence of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
doi:10.4172/2329-9517.1000209 fatcat:qlvi26ktgrdzdjmnzvnelzsp4y