Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Surgical and Catheter-Based Treatments
At Fletcher Allen, we offer the full range of surgical procedures to treat all types of congenital heart disease.
Our interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons have a depth of expertise in repairing structural heart problems. We provide the latest treatments and therapies to repair your defect and restore normal blood flow.
Catheter-Based Closure
Patients at Fletcher Allen undergo closure for ASD, VSD, PDA, and PFO in Fletcher Allen’s state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. With this procedure, an interventional cardiologist inserts a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin and guides it to the heart. The procedure is performed using guidance from x-ray and ultrasound. Using the catheter, the interventional cardiologist inserts a metal and fabric device to close the hole. Heart tissue eventually grows into and around the device, sealing the defect. Not all atrial septal defects can be closed with this technique and thus your interventional cardiologist will work closely with our non-invasive cardiology/imaging experts as well as our cardiac surgery team to decide on the best therapy.
This service is the only one of its type in Vermont, our interventional cardiologists at Fletcher Allen Health Care perform almost 5,000 catheter-based procedures every year, including procedures to help pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease.
Open-Heart Surgery
Some patients with congenital heart defects may require open-heart surgery.
Fletcher Allen Health Care has a long tradition of successful cardiac surgery and is the only cardiac surgery program in the state of Vermont.
Fletcher Allen has a considerable history of performing open-heart surgery. Cardiac surgeons have performed thousands of life-saving cardiac surgeries at our organization for more than 50 years.
Our surgical team is experienced and highly trained in repairing atrial septal defects and other structural heart problems.
