Children's Hospital of New Jersey First in State to Close Ventricular Septal Defect with Catheter-Based Procedure

Pediatric cardiologists at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center became the first in New Jersey to close a hole between a patient’s lower heart chambers with a catheter-based procedure. Approved by the FDA in September 2007, the Amplatzer Muscular Ventricular Septal Defect Occluder is a permanent implant that becomes part of the heart wall.  

Ventricular septal defect (VSD), which accounts for approximately one-third of all congenital heart disease, is the presence of a hole in the heart between the left and right ventricles. Oxygen-rich blood from the heart’s left side is forced through the defect into the right side where it is pumped to the lungs again. This inefficient flow causes stress to the heart and if left untreated, causes permanent damage to the heart and blood vessels of the lungs.

Placement of the Amplatzer Muscular Ventricular Septal Defect Occluder was performed by a highly experienced team in the dedicated pediatric catheterization lab at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, with cardiac surgeons and an operating room on standby. “Precise placement of the device is critical,” explains Rajiv Verma, MD, Director, Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Advanced cardiac imaging provided a 3-D assessment of the patients’ unique cardiac anatomy that was used in planning the breakthrough procedure.  In addition, sophisticated transesophageal echocardiography was employed during the procedure to help Dr. Verma guide the device through the heart valves and around critical vessels. When the tiny wire mesh and polyester patch was in place between the heart chambers, the device was deployed and the catheters extracted.

“Due to complex cardiac anatomy associated with many heart defects, only a fraction of patients with VSD are candidates for catheter-based technique,” explains Dr. Verma. “Yet for those patients who qualify, it offers a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open heart surgery, its associated risks, and potentially lengthy recovery.”

Over the last decade, the Children’s Heart Center has performed more pediatric cardiac surgery and interventional cardiac catheterization procedures – often involving extremely complex malformations - than any other hospital in New Jersey. The interventional cardiology team has more than 10 years experience in New Jersey’s largest single center for catheter-based treatment of complex congenital heart disease – in children and adults.  In its dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, cardiologists have succeeded in treating an increasingly complex patient mix with zero mortality over the last seven years.   The cardiologists at the Children’s Heart Center are expert in applying the entire spectrum of state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities including 3-D echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, stress echocardiography, fetal echocardiography, and cardiac MRI.   With a balance of expertise, technology, and a passion for excellence, the team at the Children’s Heart Center is second to none, and offers New Jersey residents world-class treatment close to home.

DATE: January 22, 2008

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