Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although several studies have examined patients who have undergone transcatheter fenestration closure, comprehensive evaluations of its long-term outcomes remain scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical status of these patients after a long-term follow-up period. METHODS: This cross-sectional analytical study evaluated the records of all children with congenital heart diseases admitted for transcatheter fenestration closure at Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, a tertiary care hospital specializing in congenital heart diseases in Tehran, Iran. We included patients with a history of fenestration following Fontan surgery who required fenestration closure between January 2012 and August 2020. Cardiac function data, such as ejection fraction (EF), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), and O(2) saturation, were extracted from electronic medical records. RESULTS: We assessed 26 patients (11 female and 15 male) with a mean age of 13.88±3.73 years. Comparing EF before and after fenestration closure revealed a significant difference (P=0.011), with only 2 patients (7.7%) experiencing a slight reduction (5.0%) in EF. No significant difference was observed in PAP before and after closure (P=0.068), although most patients (n=16, 61.5%) had a postprocedural reduction. Our results demonstrated a significant difference before and after the procedure (P<0.001), with all patients exhibiting increased O(2) saturation after closure. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated improvements in cardiovascular function and desirable organ function among patients. These findings suggest that transcatheter fenestration closure could serve as a beneficial complementary approach for patients with patent fenestration.