Balloon atrial septostomy guided by echocardiography in a neonatal intensive care unit.
BACKGROUND
The bedside two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D ECHO) has been successfully used to guide the balloon atrial septostomy, speeding up the procedure and preventing the risks of transportation to the hemodynamics laboratory.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the results of the bedside balloon atrial septostomy in cyanotic neonates.


METHODS
Between January/1997 and July/2008, 102 atrioseptostomies by balloon catheter guided by echocardiography were carried out and saturation levels, defect diameter, oxygen saturation, clinical-laboratory response and complications related to the procedure were evaluated.


RESULTS
Of 102 cases of bedside Rashkind septostomy, 98 met the inclusion criteria, with 90 neonates in Group A (Rashkind procedure in the preoperative phase) and 8 in Group B (procedure at the postoperative phase). There was a predominance of the male sex (75%), mean age was 8.3 ± 9.3 days and the mean weight was 3,100 ± 1,100 g; the transposition of the great arteries was the most frequent congenital heart disease (n = 74). When comparing the levels of saturation pre and post-procedure (65.9 ± 19.5% and 86 ± 9.7%) and the diameter of the interatrial septal defect pre and post-procedure (2.3 ± 1.0 mm and 5.5 ± 1.3 mm) there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). When comparing the levels of saturation and the diameter of the interatrial septal defect between the group of survivors vs non-survivor, there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The balloon atrial septostomy guided by the echocardiography reduces the risks by allowing the effective palliative procedure to be carried out promptly in cyanotic neonates, in addition to presenting lower hospital costs.
Lopes
Lilian M
LM
Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. lilianlopes@cardiol.br
Kawano
Christiane
C
Cristóvão
Salvador André Bavaresco
SA
Nagamatsu
Célia Toshie
CT
Fonseca
Luciana da
Ld
Furlanetto
Beatriz Helena Sanchez
BH
Furlanetto
Gláucio
G
Silva
José Pedro da
JP
Mangione
José Armando
JA
D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*