Interventional closure of an iatrogenic LAA-perforation by means of a PFO-occluder

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common rhythm disorder with a high risk for cardioembolic strokes. Interventional occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is an alternative to the widely established stroke prevention with oral anticoagulation. Complications through LAA closure (LAAC) are rare and usually occur periinterventional. We present a case of an 87-year-old patient who presents for elective LAAC. After placement of the LAA occluder (Amplatzer Amulet device 25 mm) in the LAA and partial resheathing, the patient developed a pericardial effusion (PE), became hemodynamically unstable and went into cardiac arrest with the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After drainage of the PE, we closed the causative LAA-perforation using a persistent foramen ovale (PFO)-occluder device (Amplatzer Talisman, 25 mm). Thereby we were able to successfully seal the perforation and stabilize the patient. The patient was monitored at our intensive care unit for 2 days and left the hospital in good condition a few days after. Procedural complications during interventional LAAC are rare but can be serious. The most common complication, PE, requires percutaneous drainage and often cardiac surgery. We present a case in which a perforation and following PE with hemodynamic relevance and need for CPR was resolved with an interventional strategy through implantation of a PFO-occluder into the perforation. With this approach we were able to show that in the right setting even serious complications can be treated by interventional measures, thereby not only saving the patient's life, but also avoiding cardiac surgery.