The First Ten of Everything: A Review of Past and Current Practice in Pediatric Cardiac Percutaneous Interventions.

Objectives This study was designed to compare outcomes of the most common pediatric cardiac interventions from the time of implementation with the current era. Background Since the introduction of semilunar valve balloon dilation and device closure of the arterial duct and septal defects, development of interventional techniques and devices has been rapid. However, few studies have compared outcomes between those initial interventions and those in the current era. Methods Five validated common catheter-based therapies were chosen for analysis, including atrial and duct device closure, balloon dilation of the aortic and pulmonary valves, and native coarctation of the aorta. A retrospective review of the first and most recent 10 consecutive patients in each group was performed. Results There was a high mortality (30%) among neonates who underwent aortic valve (AV) dilation in the early era, but no mortality noted in other groups. In the early era, transcatheter atrial defect closure and AV dilations were associated with a low success rate (60% for both lesions) and a high complication rate (40% for atrial septal defect, 30% for AV dilations). Among the last 10 children, the atrial defect occlusion was successful in 100% without complications and AV dilations where successful in all children with a 30% complication rate (one major, two minor). Conclusions A learning curve with device development plays a significant role in the evolution of transcatheter techniques. These data provide baseline estimates of success and may be used as a template in the future when new techniques are adapted into practice.