Immediate primary transcatheter closure of postinfarction ventricular septal defects

Aims: Immediate surgical repair of ventricular septal defect (VSD)complicating acute myocardial infarction is associated withhigh mortality. Percutaneous device closure appears to be safeand effective in patients treated for a residual shunt afterinitial surgical closure, as well as in patients with a chronicpost-infarct VSD. Primary transcatheter VSD closure in the acutesetting may also offer advantages over surgery. Methods and results: Between September 2003 and February 2008, 29 consecutive patientsunderwent primary transcatheter VSD closure. Clinical, procedural,and outcome data were collected. Patients were divided intothose with and those without cardiogenic shock at presentationfor risk stratification. The median follow-up time of survivingpatients was 730 days. The median time between VSD occurrenceand closure was 1 day interquartile range (IQR) 1–3]and the initial procedural success rate was 86%. The shunt (Qp:Qs)could be reduced from 3.3 (IQR 2.3–3.8) to 1.4 (IQR 1.2–1.7;P < 0.001). Procedure-related complications such as majorresidual shunting, left ventricular rupture, and device embolizationoccurred in 41%. The overall 30-day survival rate was 35%. Mortalitywas higher for cardiogenic shock in comparison to non-shockpatients (88 vs. 38%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Interventional acute VSD closure is a promising technique thatcan be performed with a high procedural success rate and mayoffer an alternative to surgery. Despite the less invasive technique,mortality of postinfarction VSD remains high, particularly inpatients with cardiogenic shock. Further developments in devicesand delivery techniques are required.