Experience with Percutaneous Transcatheter Closure of Interatrial Communications at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

Abstract

Objective: The annual rate of percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs) and patent foramen ovales (PFO) has markedly increased in the United States over the past decade. This technique has been used at the Cardiovascular Center for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean since 2005. We report on the clinical characteristics and the immediate and short-term follow-up of adult patients who underwent this procedure at this center from 2008 to 2012. Methods: One hundred and two consecutive medical records of adult Hispanic patients who underwent this procedure at our center from 2008 to 2012 were identified. A retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics and the immediate and short-term clinical and echocardiographic follow-up of those patients was performed. Results: The study population comprised 70 women and 32 men, with a mean age of 51 years (age range: 19 to 80 years). Of those, 43 (42%) underwent ASD closure and 60 (59%), closure of a PFO. A 99% procedural success rate was achieved. There were only 3 procedural complications, including the failure of the initial implantation of 1 device, which required the endovascular removal of that device and the implantation of another, a hematoma at the vascular access site, and 1 brief episode of atrial fibrillation. Conclusion: Based on our review of the available records, we were able to determine that the percutaneous transcatheter closure of interatrial communications proved to be, at our institution, a safe procedure with a high success rate and a low incidence of in-hospital complications. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the utilization of this interventional procedure in Puerto Rico.