Percutaneous stent placement in children weighing less than 10 kilograms

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and outcomes of palliative percutaneous stent placement in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD). There is interest in improving outcomes of infants with CHD through interventional/surgical collaboration. Small, high-risk patients may benefit from delayed open operations, and endovascular stents may provide a means to defer surgery to more advantageous times in select infants. Patients weighing < or =10 kg in whom stent placement was attempted during 2003-2006 were identified. Diagnoses, indications, angiographic and hemodynamic data, complications, and outcomes were reviewed. Seventeen stents were successfully placed in 15 patients. The mean age was 10.21 months; the mean weight was 6.08 kg. Indications were branch pulmonary artery stenosis, coarctation, total anomalous pulmonary venous return with obstructed venous egress, right ventricle-pulmonary artery conduit, and shunt stenosis. Premounted Palmaz Genesis and Driver Mx stents were used. Average vessel diameter increased from 3.65 to 6.72 mm (p < 0.001). The pressure gradient fell from 24 to 15 mm Hg (p < 0.01). Two stents migrated. One was recaptured and implanted at the target site and one implanted away from the target site. None needed surgical intervention. Mean follow-up was 270 days. Five patients have had additional surgery; seven patients underwent 10 additional stent dilations. There was no procedural-related mortality. Five patients (33%) died during the follow-up period, none attributable to the stent placement. We conclude that stent placement can be successfully accomplished in select, small, high-risk patients. A collaborative interventional/surgical paradigm is important to ensure that the risk-benefit ratio is properly evaluated during the patient selection.