Percutaneous transthoracic ventricular puncture for diagnostic and interventional catheterization.

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience in a case series of patients requiring percutaneous direct ventricular puncture and sheath placement for diagnosis or intervention.

BACKGROUND: Access to the right or left ventricle for percutaneous interventions is limited in patients with mechanical prostheses in either the tricuspid, or mitral and aortic positions.

METHODS: After coronary angiography, direct ventricular puncture under ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance was performed. At end of case, protamine was given to reverse the heparin, and sheaths were pulled with purse-string suture closure of the skin entrance.

RESULTS: For right ventricular access, 8- to 9-F sheaths were placed from subxiphoid approach in 2 patients to allow conduit and pulmonary artery interventions. For left ventricular access in patients with mitral and aortic prostheses, 4- to 8-F sheaths were placed from apical approach to allow diagnostic evaluation in 1 and interventions in 5 to occlude perivalvular mitral leaks and postoperative ventricular septal defect. Complication in one consisted of intercostal vein injury resulting in hemothorax requiring chest tube drainage.

CONCLUSION: In this small cases series, direct ventricular puncture allowed the intervention to proceed with up to 9-F sheath size. Attention to puncture site relative to intercostal vascular anatomy is warranted.