Percutaneous Pulmonary Artery Banding and Duct Occlusion in a Low-Birth-Weight Preterm Infant

Percutaneous pulmonary artery banding and patent ductus arteriosus closure in infants are minimally invasive, catheter-based alternatives to open-heart surgery for managing congenital heart disease with excessive pulmonary blood flow.

We present a preterm infant with intrauterine growth restriction (birth weight 1.4 kg), prolonged mechanical ventilation dependency, a large ventricular septal defect, and a widely open patent ductus arteriosus who underwent a complete transcatheter first-stage approach on the 35th day of life, comprising percutaneous pulmonary artery banding with modified microvascular plugs and patent ductus arteriosus closure with an Amplatzer Piccolo occluder, resulting in rapid clinical improvement and successful weaning from mechanical ventilation.

The primary objective is to eliminate excess shunting and reduce pulmonary blood flow to manage heart failure and prevent irreversible pulmonary vascular disease.

This minimally invasive strategy offers a promising alternative to traditional surgical interventions, particularly for critically ill premature neonates, in whom the risks of open-heart surgery are magnified.