Transcatheter Closure of Secundum Atrial Septal Defect Using the Amplatzer Device: Single Center Experience in 140 Patients

In this paper we present our experience with the Amplatzer septal occluder device, employed in 140 patients for percutaneous closure of atrial secundum defect (ASD), from October 2002 to February 2006. The age of patients ranged between 5.3 and 70 years, median 21.9 years. Procedure time ranged between 25 and 240 minutes, median 60 minutes; fluoroscopy time ranged between 3.5 and 45 minutes, median 12 minutes. Transoesophageal echocardiography was used to monitor the implantation procedure. The size of the selected device was 1 to 2 mm larger than the stretched diameter of the defect and ranged between 6-40 mm. Two devices have been implanted in two patients. Serious procedure related complications (embolization and perforation of the left atrial wall) occurred in two cases. At follow up (10 days to 3.4 years, median 2.3 years) complete closure was documented in 97% of this patient group. Unrecognized during implantation, but detected after release, small additional defect with trivial residual shunt was documented in 4 patients. A young critically ill patient, cyanotic due to right-to-left shunt, with complex congenital heart disease developed a brain abscess three months after implantation. In conclusion, percutaneous ASD closure with use of the Amplatzer device in this patient cohort was highly successful with a low complication rate