A technique for placement of left atrial monitoring line

A technique for placement of a left atrial monitoring line is described. Following repair of a complex congenital heart defect, a long catheter previously advanced from the common femoral vein or the saphenous vein into the right atrium is inserted across the interatrial septum through the parent foramen ovale or through a small incision in the atrial septum at the level of the fossa ovalis. A suture is placed to close the interatrial septum around the catheter. This technique has been used successfully for four years.