Alternative to Open-Heart Surgery in Children

A new device is designed to close holes in children's hearts caused by atrial septal defect without the need for open-heart surgery. The device, called the Amplatzer Septal Occluder, has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Amplatzer device is placed in the child's heart through a catheter inserted into a vein in the child's leg. Once in the heart, the device's mesh-wire discs are opened on both sides of the hole. The device is unscrewed from the catheter and the catheter is removed from the child's leg, leaving the device covering the hole in the heart. Within three to six months, tissue will grow over the device to permanently seal the hole.

The Amplatzer device is a self-expanding, double-disc device made from Nitinol wire mesh. The two discs are linked by a wire-mesh cylinder that corresponds to the size of the hole in the heart. The device comes in a number of sizes and is filled with polyester fabric to increase its ability to close the hole. Interventional cardiologists at the Texas Children's Hospital (Houston, USA) have successfully implanted the septal occluder in 14 patients.

"When applicable, using the Amplatzer device for children is an excellent alternative to open-heart surgery,” said Dr. Ronald Grifka, director of cardiac catheterization laboratories at Texas Children's Hospital. "The catheterization procedure and device implant are considerably less invasive and less expensive, and the hospital stay and recovery time are decreased dramatically.”




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Texas Children's Hosp.