The development of microvascular plugs (MVPs) has enabled novel transcatheter deliverable endoluminal pulmonary flow restrictors (PFRs) with the potential to treat newborns and infants with life-threatening congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in a minimally invasive manner. We present our experience to evaluate the efficacy of this concept in controlling pulmonary blood flow in various CHDs.
Retrospective clinical data review of patients with CHD and pulmonary over-circulation who received bilateral PFRs percutaneously.
Twenty-eight PFRs (7 MVP-5Q, 12 MVP-7Q, and 9 MVP-9Q) were finally implanted in 14 patients with a median age of 1.6 months (IQR, 0.9–2.3) and a median weight of 3.1 Kg (IQR, 2.7–3.6). Nine patients had large intra-cardiac left-to-right shunts (including 3 with fatal trisomy and palliative programs), 2 had borderline left ventricles, 2 had Taussig-Bing anomaly, and one had a hypoplastic left heart. Four patients had concomitant ductal stenting. Two MVP-5Qs were snare-removed and upsized to MVP-7Q. Patients experienced a significant drop in oxygen saturation and Qp/Qs. All patients were discharged from the ICU after a median of 3.5 days (IQR, 2–5.8) postoperative. Five patients had routine inter-stage catheterization and no device embolization or pulmonary branch distortion was seen. Fourteen (50%) PFRs were surgically explanted uneventfully on a median of 4.3 months (IQR, 1.2–6) post-implantation during biventricular repair in 6 patients and stage-2 palliation in one patient. The latter died 1 month post-operative from severe sepsis. Four patients are scheduled for surgical PFR removal and biventricular repair. Two patients with trisomy 18 died at 1 and 6.8 months post-procedure from non-cardiac causes. One patient with trisomy 13 is alive at 2.7 months post-procedure.
It is feasible to bespoke MVPs and implant them as effective PFRs in various CHDs. This approach enables staged left ventricular recruitment, comprehensive stage-2 or biventricular repair with lower risk by postponing surgeries to later infancy. Device explantation is uneventful, and the outcomes afterward are promising.