Long-term follow up of secundum atrial septal defect closure with the amplatzer septal occluder.

BACKGROUND: During the past 15 years, closure of a secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) has moved from a surgical to a percutaneous transcatheter approach. Few long-term studies of the efficacy and safety of closure of an ASD by an Amplatzer septal occluder (ASO) exist. METHODS: To examine the long-term results of secundum ASD closure using the ASO, data on 94 patients who underwent secundum ASD closure with the ASO between 1998 and 2002 were available and reviewed. Data regarding residual shunt, chest pain, palpitations, arrhythmias, headaches, transient ischemic attacks, cerebrovascular accidents, and mortality were collected. RESULTS: Seven (7.4%) subjects had residual shunts immediately following ASO placement. During follow-up, 4 residual shunts closed for a complete closure rate of 97%. Eighteen (19%) patients reported chest pain during the follow-up period. Twenty-three patients (24%) reported palpitations during the follow up period, 7 were documented arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and premature ventricular beats. Migraine headaches were new-onset in 4 patients. Migraine cessation occurred in 2 patients after secundum ASD closure. One child died from a cerebral vascular event 18 months following device placement. Only 1 patient developed mild aortic insufficiency. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that for up to 120 months of patient follow-up, the ASO continues to be a safe device. Residual shunts and arrhythmias have low incidence post-ASO placement. Given the mortality in one high-risk patient, further investigation into anti-platelet therapy after device placement is warranted.

Decompression of the left atrium during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation using a transseptal cannula incorporated into the circuit.

OBJECTIVES: When extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used in the setting of severe myocardial dysfunction, left ventricular end-diastolic and left atrial pressure can rise to extremely high levels. Decompression of the left atrium in this setting is essential for resolution of pulmonary edema and recovery of left ventricular function. We sought to evaluate whether adequate left atrial decompression can be achieved via percutaneous placement of a transseptal left atrial drain incorporated in the ECMO venous circuit. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Tertiary care center pediatric intensive care unit and cardiac catheterization laboratory. PATIENTS: Seven patients (age 8 months to 28 yrs) with cardiac failure on venoarterial ECMO with left atrial hypertension. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent left atrial decompression with transseptal puncture and placement of a drain (8- to 15-Fr) incorporated into the ECMO venous circuit. Catheterization and ECMO records and echocardiograms were reviewed, as were the clinical course and outcome for each patient. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The median time from ECMO cannulation to left atrial decompression was 11 hrs. Average initial left atrial pressure was 31 mm Hg. Successful drain placement was achieved in seven patients with no major procedural complications. Echocardiographic improvement in left atrial dilation was achieved in five patients (71%). Inability to decompress the left atrium was fatal in two patients. Four patients were decannulated (57%), and three survived to hospital discharge (43%). Larger sheath size and higher flow rate correlated with a greater likelihood of success. CONCLUSIONS: Adequate decompression of the left atrium can be achieved by transseptal placement of a left atrial drain incorporated into the ECMO circuit. This technique represents a reasonable alternative to blade or balloon atrial septostomy for patients requiring left atrial decompression.