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Minimally Invasive Technique for Closure of Atrial Septal Defect

Department of Cardiac Surgery Herzzentrum, University of Leipzig Leipzig, Germany

For reprint information contact:Jacques AM van Son, MD, PhDDepartment of Cardiac SurgeryHerzzentrum, University of LeipzigRussenstrasse 19 Leipzig D-04289, Germany Tel: 49 341 865 1421 Fax: 49 341 865 1452

Minimally invasive techniques for repair of extracardiac anomalies in congenital heart disease have evolved over the last 5 years and laid the foundation for the next phase: the repair of intracardiac defects. Fifteen patients (9 females and 6 males) with a median age of 9.8 years (range, 5.2 to 54 years) underwent closure of a secundum atrial septal defect through a small right anterior thoracotomy. The right external iliac artery was cannulated through a small groin incision and the atrial septal defect was repaired during hypothermic fibrillatory arrest for a mean period of 14 ± 5 minutes. The mean length of the thoracotomy was 4.9 ± 0.8 cm (range, 4.5 to 8.8 cm) while the mean length of the groin incision was 3.9 ± 0.5 cm (range, 2.9 to 5.3 cm). In the 3 youngest patients, the external iliac artery was cannulated with an 8F arterial cannula. Direct closure of the atrial septal defect was possible in all patients. The mean operative time was 109 ± 39 minutes. There was no perioperative or late mortality and no morbidity except for a tear in the right femoral artery of a 19-year-old girl. No residual atrial septal defect was observed in any of the patients. Although minimally invasive techniques for repair of intracardiac defects are not fully developed with regard to indications, the procedure described here provided secure closure of the defects with excellent cosmetic results.