title: Rescue treatment by percutaneous closure of interatrial septal defect or PFO in infants with Berlin heart.
abstract: During the past two decades, important progress has been achieved in the treatment of end-stage congestive heart failure in newborns and infants. The use of ventricular assist devices (VAD) in these patients is now available as a bridge to heart transplantation. The use of a VAD may reveal the presence of a silent interatrial septal defect or a patent foramen ovale (PFO), inducing a right to left shunt resulting in systemic desaturation and hemodynamic instability. We present two cases of low weight infants on circulatory support with VADs and right to left shunt through interatrial septum that were successfully treated by percutaneous intervention with an occlusion device.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital, Rome, Italy. gagliard@opbg.net
authors.forename: Maria Giulia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Gagliardi
authors.forename: Lida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Papavasileiou
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pongiglione
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D055989:Septal Occluder Device; D016896:Treatment Outcome