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Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Late bacterial endocarditis after percutaneous atrial septal defect closure
Makiko Nishioka1, Kenji Hoshino1, Shinya Ugaki2
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama330-8777, Japan.
Insights
Infective endocarditis after percutaneous atrial septal defect closure is rare in children. This case highlights a late-stage infection in an 11-year-old girl due to incomplete device endothelialisation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs) is a common alternative to surgery.
- Infective endocarditis is a known complication of cardiac occluding devices.
- Late-stage endocarditis following pediatric ASD device closure is exceptionally rare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a rare case of late-stage bacterial endocarditis in a child after percutaneous ASD closure.
- To emphasize the importance of considering device-related complications even in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Case report of an 11-year-old girl.
- Review of clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, and management.
- Focus on the timeline of endocarditis development post-procedure.
Main Results:
- The patient developed late-stage bacterial endocarditis.
- The complication was linked to incomplete endothelialisation of the closure device.
- This highlights a rare but serious potential adverse event.
Conclusions:
- Late-stage infective endocarditis can occur following percutaneous ASD closure in children.
- Incomplete endothelialisation may be a contributing factor.
- Vigilance for device-related infections is crucial in pediatric cardiology.
Abstract:
Percutaneous atrial septal defect closure is widely used as an alternative to surgical repair in many hospitals. Infective endocarditis related to occluding devices is commonly known, but following that atrial septal defect closure with a device in a child is rare. This report describes an 11-year-old girl who developed late-stage bacterial endocarditis following incomplete endothelialisation after a percutaneous procedure.
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