T.T. T.H, 23 years old, from Phu Tho, came for a health check-up with the mindset of a completely healthy young person. Not having difficulty breathing, not chest pain, she only occasionally felt tired and thought it was a consequence of work.
However, the results of the heart ultrasound surprised the patient when it was discovered to have a secondary atrial septal defect. Notably, the septal defect had dilated to 31mm, causing the right chamber to dilate and increasing pulmonary artery pressure.
According to Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Thanh, Director of University Medical Center Hospital, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Linh Dam Facility, if not detected at this stage, the disease can progress silently for many years, leading to heart failure, arrhythmia or severe pulmonary hypertension when entering middle age.
Cases that are detected before obvious symptoms appear are always great luck for patients.
On June 24, 2026, doctors at the University Medical Center Hospital, VNU-Hanoi - Linh Dam Facility successfully performed a full laparoscopic surgery to patch the interauricular septum under the extracorporeal circulation.
Unlike traditional open surgery where breast amputation is required, this technique only uses small incisions in the chest wall to insert instruments into surgery. Thanks to that, heart damage is treated thoroughly but less invasive, pain is reduced, blood loss is limited, and recovery time is shortened.
Immediately after surgery, the patient's breathing tube was removed, self-breathing stabilized and quickly returned to normal activities.
For a young woman, not having to carry a long scar on her chest is not only aesthetically meaningful but also a humane value that modern medicine aims for.
Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Thanh said that the successful deployment of this technique at Linh Dam Facility is proof of the ability to master technology and the development of the professional team here.
From the above case, Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Thanh warned that many young people still think that heart disease or heart failure only appears in the elderly.
The interauricular septum is like an undercurrent, silently eroding heart function for many years without causing obvious symptoms," he shared.
According to experts, the body can adapt to prolonged abnormalities, causing patients to mistakenly believe they are completely healthy. When signs such as shortness of breath, shortness of breath or reduced effort appear, heart damage is often in a late stage, even unable to recover completely.
The case of the 23-year-old girl is a reminder of the importance of periodic health check-ups. Many dangerous diseases can silently progress for many years and are only detected when serious consequences have occurred.
Not only saving a heart from the risk of depletion, the surgery also shows the value of modern medicine: early detection, minimally invasive treatment and helping patients maintain their quality of life in the future.
