Massive postpartum haemorrhage after Cesarean section for placenta previa is a common occurrence. The bleeding is usually from the placental bed at the lower uterine segment. Uterine tamponade has a role in the management of such patients especially when fertility is desired. We describe here a case of massive postpartum haemorrhage, which was managed, with the use of a Sengstaken-Blakemore tube. This allowed us to avoid a hysterectomy for a young primiparous patient.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the Amplatzer ductal occluder (ADO) in transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Background: Transcatheter closure of small to moderate sized PDAs is an established procedure. The ADO is a self-expandable device with a number of salutary features, notably its retrievability, ease of delivery via small 5F to 7F catheters and a range of sizes suitable even for the larger PDAs.
Methods: Between November 1997 and August 1999, the ADO was successfully implanted in 205 of 209 patients with PDA. The inclusion criteria for this device occlusion method were patients with clinical and echocardiographic features of moderate to large PDA, weighing > or =3.5 kg as well as asymptomatic adolescents and adults with PDA measuring > or =5.0 mm on two-dimensional (2D) echocardiogram. Occlusion was achieved via the antegrade venous approach. Follow-up evaluations were performed with 2D echocardiogram, color-flow mapping and Doppler measurement of the descending aorta and left pulmonary artery velocity at 24 h and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after implantation.
Results: Two hundred and five patients had successful PDA occlusion using this device. The patients were between two months and 50 years (median 1.9) and weighed between 3.4 kg and 63.2 (median 8.4). Infants made up 26% of the total patients. The PDA measured from 1.8 to 12.5 mm (mean 4.9) at the narrowest diameter. Forty-four percent of patients achieved immediate complete occlusion. On color Doppler the closure rates at 24 h and 1 month after implant were 66% and 97%, respectively. At 6 and 12 months all except one patient attained complete occlusion. Device embolization occurred in three patients; in two this was spontaneous, and in the other it was due to catheter manipulation during postimplant hemodynamic measurement. Mild aortic narrowing was seen in an infant.
Conclusions: Patent ductus arteriosus occlusion using ADO is safe and efficacious. It is particularly useful in symptomatic infants and small children with relatively large PDA. Embolization can be minimized by selection of appropriate sized devices, and caution should be exercised in infants <5 kg.
This study reviewed the short-term outcome of transcatheter closure of the defects within the oval fossa using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder. From January 1997 to December 2000, 210 patients with defects within the oval fossa underwent successful transcatheter closure. We reviewed a total of 190 patients with left-to-right shunts, assessing the patients for possible complications and the presence of residual shunts using transthoracic echocardiogram at 24 h, 1 month, 3 months and one year. Their median age was 10 years, with a range from 2 to 64 years, and their median weight was 23.9 kg, with a range from 8.9 to 79 kg. In 5 patients, a patent arterial duct was closed, and in 2 pulmonary balloon valvoplasty performed, at the same sitting. The median size of the Amplatzer device used was 20 mm, with a range from 9 to 36 mm. The median times for the procedure and fluoroscopy were 95 min, with a range from 30 to 210 min, and 18.4 min, with a range from 5 to 144 min, respectively. Mean follow-up was 20.8 +/- 12.4 months. Complete occlusion was obtained in 168 of 190 (88%) patients at 24 h, 128 of 133 (96.2%) at 3 months, and 103 of 104 (99%) at one year. Complications occurred in 4 (2.1%) patients. In one, the device became detached, in the second the device embolized into the right ventricular outflow tract, the lower end of the device straddled in the third, and the final patient had significant bleeding from the site of venupuncture. There were no major complications noted on follow-up. We conclude that transcatheter closure of defects within the oval fossa using the Amplatzer Septal Occluder is safe and effective. Long-term follow-up is required, nonetheless, before it is recommended as a standard procedure.