Analysis of 10-year interventional therapy for ventricular septal defect in military hospitals in China

  AIM  To summarize the results of interventional treatment and complications of ventricular septal defect (VSD) registered from January 2011 to December 2020 in the PLA cardiovascular interventional treatment management information network,in order to provide guidance and reference for the interventional treatment of VSD in the future.

  METHODS  The data of VSD cases treated by interventional therapy in military hospitals from January 2011 to December 2020 were collected through the registration of cardiovascular interventional therapy management information network, including the number of VSD cases treated by interventional therapy, the types of VSD, the transcatheter devices used, the success rate, the complex malformations, the causes of failure and the complications, and the data were analyzed statistically.

  RESULTS  Successful interventional therapy was achieved in 7063 out of 7293 patients (96.8%) with VSD in the past 10 years, the types of VSD included perimembranous VSD in 6662 cases, muscular VSD in 199 cases, intracristal VSD in 314 cases, residual fistula after VSD repair in 43 cases, residual fistula after VSD closure in 2 cases, and ventricular septal perforation after myocardial infarction in 73 cases. Up to 88.1% patients underwent transcatheter closure with China-made devices. The incidence of procedure related major complications was 0.53% (n = 39), which were most frequently associated with conduction blockades (n = 22). There were also 4 cases of occluder migration, 5 cases of aortic insufficiency, 1 case of pericardial tamponade, 5 cases of moderate to severe residual shunt, and 2 cases of death. Compared with that in the period from January 2011 to December 2015, the success rate of interventional treatment increased significantly from January 2016 to December 2020, and the incidence of complications decreased significantly.

  CONCLUSION  With the accumulation of interventional therapy experience, interventional therapy becomes a safe and effective method for patients with perimembranous VSD, intracristal VSD, residual fistula after VSD surgical repair/occlusion and ventricular septal perforation after myocardial infarction, and it needs long-term follow-up.