Cardiac Implant Closure Device

Device used to close an abnormal opening between the left and right chambers of the heart

Congenital heart conditions such as patent foramen ovales or atrial septal defects cause an opening that allows blood to flow between the left and right chambers of the heart. Your doctor may recommend we use an implant closure device to seal the defect to improve blood oxygenation.

Our Adult Congenital Heart Center is one of the few programs in the nation that caters to the complex needs of adults with congenital heart conditions. While some congenital heart defects require open-heart surgery, by working closely with the experts in our Interventional Cardiology Program, we often can use minimally invasive techniques to close these openings.

What to expect during a closure device implant procedure

You may be asked to not eat or drink the day of the procedure. Ask your doctor about taking any medications such as blood thinners.

In the catheterization lab, you will lie on a procedure table, and small, flat disks known as electrodes will be used to connect you to an electrocardiogram, which will monitor your heart. We’ll give you a sedative to help you relax, and you’ll receive a local anesthetic. A thin, flexible tube known as a catheter will be inserted in your arm or leg, your doctor will thread the catheter to the defect through a blood vessel using X-ray images to guide them. A contrast dye may be injected to make the images clearer.

When the catheter is in place, the closure device attached to the end of the catheter will be opened like an umbrella to cover the hole. Heart tissue eventually will grow over the closure device.

The procedure should take one to two hours. You’ll need to spend a few hours in recovery for observation, but you should be able to go home the same day.

Conditions

Tests