Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
Vol.27 No.1 2011 (23-30)

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Yasuhiro Fujii,1) Teiji Akagi,2) Manabu Taniguchi,2) Koji Nakagawa,2) Yasufumi Kijima,2) Shin-ichi Otsuki,3) Tomoko Tomii,1) Tatsuo Iwasaki,4) Keiji Goto,4) Yuichiro Toda,4) Yoshio Okamoto,3) Sadahiko Arai,1) Shingo Kasahara,1) and Shunji Sano1)

1)Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, 2)Department of Cardiac Care Unit, 3)Department of Pediatrics, and 4)Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of surgical closure and catheter closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs) using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder in patients 40 years of age or older.
Methods: Seventy-three patients underwent catheter closure (group D), and 27 patients underwent surgical closure of ASDs (group S). The echocardiogram, catheter, and electrocardiogram data were compared.
Results: The patients in group D were older at the time of closure (P=0.004) and had smaller ASD diameters (P<0.001) than the patients in group S. There was no mortality due to cardiac events in either group. The group D patients had significantly shorter hospital stays (P<0.001). The incidence of postoperative atrial arrhythmias was significantly lower in group D (P=0.015). Conclusions: Despite the implantation of a foreign body inside the heart, catheter closure contributed to a lower incidence of postoperative atrial arrhythmias. These findings may influence the long-term clinical outcomes of adult patients with ASDs.