Characteristics of adult patients with atrial septal defects presenting with paradoxical embolism

AbstractTo judge whether an Amplatzer™ Septal Occluder can be used as standard therapy instead of surgery for closure of atrial septal defects we report our experiences in 200 patients. Of these patients, 127 had an atrial septal defect with haemodynamically significant left-to-right shunt, 68 patients a persistent oval foramen after presumed paradoxical embolism, and 5 had a fenestration after Fontan-repair. Mean age was 29.8 years (0.8 to 77.7 years). Body weight ranged from 6.9 to 120.0 kg (mean 51.5 kg). After diagnostic cardiac catheterization, and balloon-sizing of the defect, we implanted Amplatzer™ Septal Occluders with stents of 4 to 28 mm diameter. Follow-up studies were obtained after 48hours, and one, six, and twelve months. Transcatheter closure of the atrial septal defect proved successful in all without any relevant residual shunts. In particular, complete closure was achieved in all patients after presumed paradoxical embolism. The mean period of follow-up is 9–5 months, with a range from 0.4 to 23.5 months, giving a total of 1898 patient months. The occlusion rate after three month was 98.1°. A trivial haemodynamically insignificant residual shunt remained in 1.9° of the patients. Fluoroscopy times ranged from 0 to 43.5 minutes, with a median of 8.7 minutes. The excellent results in the short and medium term in children and adults have resulted in using this device routinely at the present time for closure of central atrial septal defects up to a diameter of 28 mm. Final judgement, however, is only possible after long-term follow-up.

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Hidden burden of arrhythmias in patients with small atrial septal defects: a nationwide study

Open Heart ◽

10.1136/openhrt-2019-001056 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e001056

Author(s):

Sebastian Udholm ◽

Camilla Nyboe ◽

Andrew Redington ◽

Jens Erik Nielsen-Kudsk ◽

Jens Cosedis Nielsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Volume Overload ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Adult Patients ◽

Heart Volume ◽

Nationwide Study ◽

Septal Defects ◽

Atrial Septal Defects ◽

Background Population ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Increased Risk

BackgroundIn recent Danish nationwide register-based study, adults with small, unrepaired atrial septal defects (ASD) have increased risk of pneumonia, atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke. Moreover, they revealed higher mortality than the background population.ObjectiveIn this nationwide study, we evaluate the hidden burden of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias in adult patients with a small, unrepaired ASD without a previous diagnosis of AF.MethodsAll Danish patients, aged 18–65, diagnosed between 1953 and 2011 with an unrepaired ASD and no documented AF were invited for 7 days Holter-recording, echocardiography and 6 min walk test. The first 48 hours Holter-recording was completely analysed, while only AF was screened for throughout all 7 days. Furthermore, the entire patient group were characterised using the unique Danish registries.ResultsA total of 151 patients (mean age 32 years) were included. Approximately 80% of the patients had spontaneous closure of their defect. Despite this, occult arrhythmias were frequent. The most common arrhythmia was supraventricular tachycardia (n=24, 16%) with non-sustained atrial arrhythmias in 21 patients and AF in two patients. A considerable number of patients had non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (n=12, 8%). Patients with ASD and tachyarrhythmias had increased right ventricular to left ventricular diastolic area in echocardiography and higher age when compared with ASD patients without arrhythmias.ConclusionAdult patients with small, unrepaired ASD have a hidden burden of both atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The mechanism likely relates to the residua of previous right-heart volume overload and incomplete reverse remodelling. Our results support guidelines recommending continued follow-up of patients with small, unrepaired ASD.

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