Transseptal Access to the Left Atrium: Tips and Tricks to Keep it Safe Derived from Single Operator Experience and Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transseptal puncture (TSP) remains a demanding procedural step in accessing the left atrium with inherent risks and safety concerns, mostly related to cardiac tamponade.

Objective

Based on our own experience with 249 TSP procedures and in-depth literature review, we present our results and offer several tips and tricks that may render TSP successful and safe.

Methods

This prospective study comprised 249 consecutive patients (146 men), aged 41.6±17.4 years, undergoing TSP by a single operator for ablation of a variety of arrhythmias, mostly related to left accessory pathways (n=145) or left atrial tachycardias (n=33) and more recently, atrial fibrillation (n=70). TSP was guided by fluoroscopy alone in all patients without the use of echocardiography imaging.

SUBMITTER: Manolis AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5730964 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature