Stent fractures after common femoral artery bail-out stenting due to suture device failure in TAVR.

BACKGROUND: Vascular access site-related complications are frequent in the context of transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The implantation of a covered stent graft is an effective treatment option for bleeding control. However, the external iliac and common femoral arteries are exposed to flexion of the hip joint. Therefore, stent compression and stent/strut fractures may occur, facilitating stent occlusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all 389 patients who received transfemoral TAVR from 2013-2015 at the Düsseldorf Heart Centre, we monitored the management of vascular access site-related complications. Our analyses focused on immediate technical success and bleeding control, primary patency, and the occurrence of stent/strut fractures after six to 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Vascular access site-related complications occurred in 13 % (n = 51), whereof in 10 patients, the bleeding was successfully managed by prolonged compression. In 40 out of 51 patients, a covered stent graft was implanted in the common femoral artery, leading to 100 % immediate bleeding control. After a mean follow-up of 334 ± 188 days, 28 stents out of 29 patients with completed follow-up (excluding e. g. death) were without flow-limiting stenosis (primary patency 97 %) or relevant stent compression (diameter pre/post 8.6/8.1 mm, p = 0.048, late lumen loss 1.1 ± 0.2 mm, mean flow velocity 92 ± 34 cm/s). In four asymptomatic patients, stent/strut fractures were detected (14 %) without flow-limiting stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: The implantation of a covered stent graft is highly effective and safe to control vascular access site-related complications after TAVR. Stent/strut fractures in the flexible segment of the common femoral artery may occur, as consequently verified by X-ray visualization, but show no impairment on flow or clinical parameters after six to 12 months.

Closure of Secundum Atrial Septal Defects by Using the Occlutech Occluder Devices in More Than 1300 Patients: The IRFACODE Project: A Retrospective Case Series.

BACKGROUND: The Occlutech Figulla ASD device series (OFSO) shows an improved device design for interventional ASD closure, larger follow-up series are missing. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the feasibility, safety, implantation properties, results, and follow-up of ASD closure using Occlutech devices over a 5 year period by establishing a multi-institutional collaborative result registry with 16 contributing centers from 11 countries (IRFACODE). RESULTS: In 1315 patients of all age groups (female 66.9%), successful (98%) ASD closure was performed (mean age 28.9 years, weight 52 kg, height 148.6 cm). Of the defects, 47.9% showed no or only a deficient aortic rim; in 11.9%, there was more than one defect; a septum aneurysm was present in 21.5%; and the mean implanted device size was 20.5 mm. Immediate closure was achieved in 78.6%, at discharge in 83.1%, and 96.4% and 97.3% at 6 and 12 months follow-up, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 2.7 years (in total 3597 patient years), significant complications were minimal (total = 8, <1%) with secondary device embolizations in five and AV-blocks in three patients. No erosion or death was reported. CONCLUSION: ASD closure using OFSO is feasible in a large variety of patients, safe with only a minimal risk of severe side effects and especially without any aortic erosions despite a large percentage of large and complicated defects. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Secondary right heart failure due to haemodynamically relevant iatrogenic atrial septal defect: does the sequence of structural interventions sometimes matter? A case report.

BACKGROUND: Edge-to-edge mitral valve repair is a common procedure for treating severe symptomatic mitral valve regurgitation in patients not eligible for surgery. CASE SUMMARY: After necessary transseptal puncture during the MitraClip procedure, an iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) routinely remains and closes spontaneously in most cases. We present a case in which this shunt persisted due to increased left heart pressure, causing repeated rehospitalization, and ultimately requiring interventional closure: after successful transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of severe, symptomatic mitral regurgitation, the iASD persisted presumably due to underestimated paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient aortic valve stenosis. Despite transcatheter aortic valve implantation, the iASD became haemodynamically relevant requiring successful interventional iASD closure in the end after a long period of rehospitalizations. We evaluated the symptoms, haemodynamic, and functional characteristics of the patient using several diagnostic tools, as well as the comorbidities of the patient, in terms of their potential to favour the persistence and haemodynamic relevance of iASDs. DISCUSSION: The combination of sophisticated diagnostic tools, such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), physical examination, and symptoms can be used to identify patients vulnerable to the development of a haemodynamic-relevant iASD that will need early interventional treatment.

Optimal septum alignment of the Figulla Flex occluder to the atrial septum in patients with secundum atrial septal defects.

AIMS: To investigate the implantation safety, anatomic performance and septal alignment of the Occlutech Figulla Flex occluder (FFO) device, an atrial septal defect (ASD) closure device with specific left-sided deployment characteristics and right-sided septal alignment properties. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between January 2011 and December 2013 we prospectively collected the change of orientation of the device to the septum during the release process and the feasibility of implantation of the FFO in 122 patients. The mean age was 10.7 years (±10.2), weight 32.9 kg (±20.3), and height 129.4 cm (±30). Devices used were 9 (n=13), 10.5 (n=16), 12 (n=16), 15 (n=39), 18 (n=17), 21 (n=8), 24 (n=5), 27 (n=7) and 30 mm (n=3) in size. No additional implantation techniques were required. Before release, the mean angles of the left and right-sided discs were 29.2° (±9.9°) and 43.4° (±9.2°) to the body axis, and 18.7° (±8.7°) and 27.0° (±10°) immediately thereafter. Thus, there was only a slight change in orientation of the left-sided (10.6°±7.5°) and right-sided (16.3°±7.9°) discs. CONCLUSIONS: The design of this occluder system results in an ideal septum alignment which increases its feasibility as well as patient safety during implantation.