general anaesthesia with plans to proceed to device closure if the
defect is suitable. Transoesophageal echocardiography is
invaluable in guiding correct placement of the exposure. Heparin
and antibiotics are administered during the procedure and
intravenous heparinisation is used for the first 24 hours following
deployment. Aspirin is administered for six weeks and then
stopped, by which time the device will be covered by endothelial
tissue. Mechanical problems seen with some earlier devices have
not been encountered with the latest range. Medium term results
have been encouraging.
FFuurrtthheerr rreeaaddiinngg
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complications of surgical and Amplatzer device closure of atrial septal
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Gatzoulis MA, Redington AN, Somerville J et al. Should atrial septal
defects in adults be closed? Ann Thorac Surg1996; 6611 : 657–9.
Rigby ML. The era of transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects. Heart
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