Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Rapid Improvement of Pulmonary Functions in Children After Transcatheter Closure of an Atrial Septal Defect
Serkan F Çelik1, Cemşit Karakurt2, Nurdan Yıldırım Acar3
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. docser2003@yahoo.com.
Insights
Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) significantly improves pulmonary functions in children. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) showed enhanced forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV1) post-procedure, normalizing values compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Few studies address respiratory system function in children with atrial septal defects (ASD).
- Pulmonary complications in pediatric ASD patients require further investigation.
- Transcatheter closure is a common treatment for ASD, but its impact on lung function is not well-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pulmonary function and complications in children with ASD before and after transcatheter closure.
- To compare pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters in pediatric ASD patients with healthy controls.
- To assess the effectiveness of transcatheter ASD closure on respiratory system outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) including FVC, FEV1, PEF, and MEF25-75 were performed on 30 pediatric ASD patients (ages 5-18) and 30 healthy controls.
- PFTs were conducted at baseline (pre-closure) and 3 months post-transcatheter ASD closure.
- Patient data including age, gender, ASD diameter, and hemodynamic parameters were analyzed for correlations with PFT results.
Main Results:
- ASD patients exhibited significantly reduced FVC and FEV1 at baseline compared to controls.
- Following transcatheter closure, significant improvements were observed in FVC, FEV1, and MEF25-75 values at 3 months.
- Post-closure PFT values in ASD patients showed no significant difference compared to the control group.
- No significant correlation was found between PFT measurements and patient characteristics (age, gender, ASD size, pressures).
Conclusions:
- Transcatheter closure of ASD leads to significant improvements in pulmonary functions in pediatric patients.
- Peripheral airway flow limitation observed in ASD patients is ameliorated after transcatheter closure.
- The study demonstrates better pulmonary outcomes following transcatheter ASD closure, normalizing respiratory function.
Abstract:
There are very few studies in the literature on respiratory system functions and complications of children with an atrial septal defect (ASD). The aim of this study is to investigate the pulmonary functions and pulmonary complications before and after transcatheter closure in children with an ASD. In this study, pulmonary function test parameters of 30 ASD patients between 5 and 18 years of age who were eligible to be treated by transcatheter ASD closure were compared with 30 healthy children. The patients undergoing transcatheter ASD closure received pulmonary function tests (PFT) at baseline (1 day before ASD closure), and 3 months after the procedure. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV1), peak expiratory flow, and mean forced expiratory flow during the middle half of FVC were measured. The mean age of the 30 ASD patients was 9.59 ± 3.1 years; and 20 (66.6%) were female and 10 (33.3%) were male. The mean age of the control group was 10.15 ± 2.21 years, and 19 (63.3%) were girls and 11 (36.6%) were males. ASD patients had significantly reduced FVC (73.11 ± 24.6%; 86.05 ± 26.1; p = 0.001, respectively), and FEV1 (81.34 ± 26.2% and 99.2 ± 19.6%; p = 0.001; respectively) at baseline. But significant improvement was observed in FVC values in the 3rd-month post-closure comparison of the patient group with the control group (73.11 ± 24.6%; and 88.36 ± 14.5%; p = 0.01, respectively); FEV1 values (81.34 ± 26% and 99.54 ± 18.2%; p = 0.005, respectively) and mean forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of vital capacity (MEF25-75) values (94.6 ± 33.4% and 124.2 ± -24.1%; p = 0.01, respectively) were also improved. There was no statistically significant relationship between the PFT measurements at baseline and after closure of the defect and age at transcatheter closure, gender, body height, body weight, ASD diameter, Q p/Q s, right ventricle systolic pressure, or mean pulmonary artery pressure values. At the 3rd month of ASD closure, there was no significant difference in the comparison of the PFT values of the patient and control group. Disturbance in the significant flow limitation of the peripheral airway of ASD patients was observed with PFT. Better pulmonary outcomes were observed in ASD patients after transcatheter closure.
