Hyperacute flash pulmonary oedema after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation: The melody of an overwhelmed left ventricle

Left Atrial Hypertension and Respiratory Failure Requiring Venoarterial ECMO After Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement

A 33-year-old woman with aortic valve stenosis status-post Ross at age 6 years developed symptomatic right heart failure from right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit stenosis. Conduit rehabilitation and transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement resulted in acute left atrial hypertension and respiratory failure requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and atrial septal defect creation as a bridge to recovery.

Acute and short-term haemodynamic impact of transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function

OBJECTIVES

Assess the acute and short-term haemodynamic impact of transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function stratified by pre-transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation physiology.

BACKGROUND

Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation is a widely available option to treat residual or recurrent pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary insufficiency. Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation acutely increases pulmonary artery size and diastolic pressure in patients with pulmonary insufficiency and acute pulmonary edema has been reported after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, possibly related to acute left ventricular volume loading. However, the impact of transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation on left ventricular diastolic function has not been established.

METHODS

Patients who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation from 2010 to 2017 at our centre were grouped by indication for transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation as pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary insufficiency, or mixed disease. Separate analysis was performed on those who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation for pulmonary stenosis versus pulmonary insufficiency or mixed disease. Intracardiac haemodynamics immediately before and after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation and echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function at baseline, 1-day post transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, and 1-year post transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation were compared between groups.

RESULTS

In 102 patients who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, the indication was pulmonary stenosis in 29 (28%), pulmonary insufficiency in 28 (29%), and mixed disease in 44 (43%). There were no significant differences in left ventricular systolic or diastolic function between groups at baseline, immediately after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, or 1-year post implantation. The mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure increased equally across groups.

CONCLUSIONS

While patients with pulmonary insufficiency likely have acute left ventricular volume loading following transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, this does not appear to be haemodynamically significant as transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation was not associated with measurable changes in left ventricular systolic or diastolic function acutely or 1-year post implantation.

Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation: will it replace surgical pulmonary valve replacement?

INTRODUCTION

Right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) dysfunction is a common hemodynamic challenge for adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD), including patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), truncus arteriosus (TA), and those who have undergone the Ross procedure for congenital aortic stenosis and the Rastelli repair for transposition of great vessels. Pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) has become one of the most common procedures performed for ACHD patients. Areas covered: Given the advances in transcatheter technology, we conducted a detailed review of the available studies addressing the indications for PVR, historical background, evolving technology, procedural aspects, and the future direction, with an emphasis on ACHD patients. Expert commentary: Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI) is widely accepted as an alternative to surgery to address RVOT dysfunction. However, current technology may not be able to adequately address a subset of patients with complex RVOT morphology. As the technology continues to evolve, new percutaneous valves will allow practitioners to apply the transcatheter approach in such patients. We expect that with the advancement in transcatheter technology, novel devices will be added to the TPVI armamentarium, making the transcatheter approach a feasible alternative for the majority of patients with RVOT dysfunction in the near future.

Iatrogenic aortopulmonary communications after transcatheter interventions on the right ventricular outflow tract or pulmonary artery: Pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and management considerations

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the spectrum, etiology, and management of traumatic aortopulmonary (AP) communications after transcatheter interventions on the pulmonary circulation.

BACKGROUND

An iatrogenic AP communication is an unusual complication after balloon pulmonary artery (PA) angioplasty or stenting, or transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR). However, with the increasing application of transcatheter therapies for postoperative PA stenosis and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) dysfunction, including percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement, consideration of the etiology, diagnosis, and management of this problem is important for interventional cardiologists performing such procedures.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We present three new cases, as well as gross anatomy and histopathology data, related to AP communications after PA interventions. We also review the literature relevant to this topic. Including these new cases, there have been 18 reported cases of iatrogenic AP communication after transcatheter interventions on the PAs or RVOT, primarily patients with transposition of the great arteries who underwent PA angioplasty after an arterial switch operation, or after TPVR in patients who had undergone a Ross procedure. The likely cause of such defects is PA trauma plus distortion of the neo-aortic anastomosis resulting from angioplasty or stenting of the RVOT or central PAs, with subsequent dissection through the extravascular connective tissue and into the closely adjacent vessel through the devitalized tissue at the anastomosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiologists performing PA or RVOT interventions should be aware of the possibility of a traumatic AP communication and consider this diagnosis when confronted with suggestive signs and symptoms.