Secondary residual shunt after atrial septal defect closure with an amplatzer occluder: surgical removal and evaluation of device biocompatibility after 7 years.

Interventional occluder implantation has become the preferred mode of treatment in children with clinically significant atrial septal defect (ASD). The continuous increase in the number of patients treated calls for long-term data on device integrity and biocompatibility. We report a child who underwent successful interventional ASD closure at age 5 years. Secondary residual shunt occurred after 3 years of follow-up, and surgical ASD closure became necessary at age 12 years. The Amplatzer occluder device, which was removed after 7 years in vivo, showed no signs of mechanical failure, corrosion, or clinically relevant immunological response at the device-tissue interface.