Atrial fibrillation, when to need surgery?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Tran Van Trong - Specialist in Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery - Aesthetics - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Danang International Hospital.
Atrial fibrillation is a birth defect in children where there is a small hole in the skin of the face in front of the ear, which connects to the inside of the cartilaginous base of the auricle. If the child with atrial fibrillation is not cared for carefully, it will cause inflammation, dangerous pus discharge that affects health.

1. What is atrial fistula?

Atrial fibrillation is a birth defect that is discovered at birth and can occur in one or both ears, usually occurring at 6 weeks of pregnancy. This fistula occurs in the anterior region of the ear, the atrial fistula usually goes deep into the base and attaches to the meniscus. In essence, the lumen of this fistula is a tube paved with secretory epithelium. Atrial rotator cuff fistula is formed by the incomplete fusion of the first and second gill arches to form the external ear.

An atrial fistula is about the size of a toothpick in the skin and has no other symptoms. It can appear independently, simply, but can also be combined with other malformations to form syndromes with systemic manifestations such as parotid-ear-renal (Branchial-Auto-Renal) syndrome. Hemifacial microsomia,... Currently in Vietnam, this disease is often ignored, so many times the disease is not properly cleaned, causing many dangerous complications. Inflammatory phenomena can occur such as itching, secretion of peas... According to research, women are at higher risk of this disease than men. However, your baby's hearing will not be affected by atrial fibrillation.

2. Symptoms of atrial fistula

When the atrial fistula is infected, it will cause the child to have fever, pain, inflammation, swelling, redness, forming an abscess right at the fistula or spreading to other locations behind the ear... Or the child will experience symptoms such as:
Where the fistula can leak foul discharge; When infected, it will itch, secrete white, foul-smelling residue; Fistula bulges into a cyst. This superinfection will produce an atrial fistula abscess.

3. When is atrial fistula surgery needed?

If the deformity is not infected with infection, abscess, or the mucus in the fistula is not blocked and does not affect the aesthetics, the child can completely live with this malformation without surgery. But when the fistula causes blockage, swelling, inflammation, abscess... it needs surgery, to avoid affecting the child's hearing and aesthetics.

Before surgery, the child must be treated for the inflammatory process and abscess, the doctor will prescribe appropriate antibiotic treatment. After the infection is gone, surgery will be performed to remove the entire infected fistula for the child. With the advancement of medicine, surgery for atrial fistula is now quite simple, because the fistula is located under the skin. Patients over 15 years old, surgery only needs anesthesia. Young children who cannot cooperate are required to be anesthetized. After surgery, the patient can be discharged from the hospital the same day.
Especially, for the case of fistula with abscess, the child will be treated through two stages. First, it is necessary to clean the pus in the abscess first by making an incision to drain the pus and treat it with antibiotics. Finally, surgically remove the entire fistula.

4. Infection Prevention Measures

Atrial fistula in children is a birth defect, so the main thing to prevent infection is to keep it clean every day, absolutely do not squeeze at the site of the child's fistula. Accordingly, if the mucus in the fistula is not blocked, there are no inflammatory complications or abscesses, the child can live with this defect without surgery. Therefore, measures to prevent infection are very important, specifically as follows:
Clean the atrial fistula for children daily Do not squeeze the child's fistula and do not use cotton swabs to penetrate the fistula . When there is mucus secretion outside the fistula, only use cotton soaked in physiological saline, gently clean. Absolutely do not self-treat the child at home when the fistula has been inflamed. When there are signs of inflammation, take your child to an ENT specialist for examination and timely treatment of fistula infection. If necessary, the doctor may appoint an early surgery to preserve aesthetics and preserve the child's hearing health in the future. As a key area of ​​Vinmec Medical system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All are well-trained, professional, with a mind - range, understanding young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment. Dr. Trong has more than 10 years of experience in Pediatric and Reconstructive - Aesthetic Surgery, and soon became one of the leading doctors in the field of Children's Surgery, especially Laparoscopic and Plastic Surgery. Plastic Surgery - Aesthetics.
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SEE ALSO:
Atrial fistula in children Atrial fistula surgery: What you need to know How should Atrial fistula be cleaned every day?