Bronchopleural fistulas can occur as a rare but severe complication after pulmonary resection. Established guidelines for the proper treatment of patients with bronchopleural fistulas do not exist. Apart from attempts to close the fistula, emphasis is placed on preventive measures, early treatment with antibiotics, drainage of the empyema and aggressive nutritional and rehabilitative support. F...

Although closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD II) with an occluding device in the first year of life is not a routine procedure, it is a feasible treatment, even in neonates. Case reports on the off-label use of Amplatzer devices have been repeatedly published, but there are no reports on using the Amplatzer Duct Occluder (ADO) to close an atrial septal defect in a neonate. We report on a su...

PURPOSE Evaluation of the role of transesophageal echocardiography in percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) with the Amplatzer septal occluder. METHODS Patients were selected for percutaneous closure of ASD by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which was also used to monitor the procedure, helping to select the appropriate size of the Amplatzer device, to verify its positio...

A 78-year-old woman with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting underwent transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a Sapien XT (Edwards, Irvine, California) prosthesis that was complicated by an apical left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVPA). Unsuccessful attempts at closure included percutaneous, retrograde transaortic placement of a 12-mm Amplatzer Ventricular Septal Defec...

AIM To evaluate whether transcatheter closure with the Amplatzer duct occluder offers an alternative to surgical treatment in infants with a persistent ductus arteriosus. METHODS 12 patients under 1 year of age (age 1-11 months, body weight 2.6-8.7 kg) with clinical and echocardiographic findings of a significant duct were considered for transcatheter closure with the Amplatzer occluder. The ...

BACKGROUND Secundum atrial septal defect is a common congenital heart disease. Amplatzer septal occluder has become the most commonly used device for its closure. This study was conducted to determine the safety and outcome of atrial septal defect closure with the Amplatzer septal occlude (ASO). METHODS This Case-series was conducted at Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology/National Institute ...

BACKGROUND Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common form of congenital heart disease and forms about 5-10% of congenital heart diseases. Surgical closure is safe and effective; however, certain patients may experience some morbidity. Recently, transcatheter closure of PDA using the Amplatzer duct occluder has been shown to be safe and efficacious. OBJECTIVES To evaluate whether transcathete...

Six months after undergoing a Fontan operation, a 7-year-old boy with right atrial isomerism and a single functional ventricle was admitted to our emergency department with cyanosis. Emergency cardiac catheterization revealed a large veno-venous fistula that began in a left hepatic vein, connected to the left accessory hepatic veins, and drained into the common atrium, resulting in desaturation...

BACKGROUND Ischaemic stroke is a common complication of atrial fibrillation (AF). Cardiology societies recommend assessing the risk of ischaemic stroke and using adequate prevention in patients with AF. Currently, oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs are the most commonly used methods of stroke prevention. Left atrial appendage (LAA) is thought to be the main source of thrombi in patients...

Reoperation of patients with perivalvular leaks due to heart failure or hemolysis is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous closure using an Amplatzer device offers a promising alternative. We describe our initial experience between 2004 and 2006, during which we used an Amplatzer device in eight patients for the percutaneous closure of perivalvular leaks (four aortic a...