Percutaneous device closure of atrial septal defect in a premature infant with rapid improvement in pulmonary status

Atrial septal defects are a common congenital heart defect and may complicate the course of a premature infant by imposing volume overload to the lungs. Surgical closure requires cardiopulmonary bypass and, frequently, a midline sternotomy. Recently, percutaneous transcatheter devices were approved for atrial septal defect closure but have been limited to use in larger children. Here we present the first known report of a transcatheter device closure of an atrial septal defect in a premature infant, which resulted in rapid improvement of the patient's respiratory status.