Safety, Feasibility, Results, and Economic Impact of Common Interventional Procedures in a Low-Volume Region of the United States

The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and economic benefit of a high-volume operator performing common interventional procedures in a rural region of the United States (U.S.). Rural areas of the U.S., even with well-equipped cardiac catheterization laboratories, may not have a full-time pediatric interventional cardiologist (PIC); this requires patients to travel out of state even for simple interventions. Since 2005, we have adopted a policy of performing cardiac catheterizations and common interventional procedures with a visiting PIC. We reviewed data of all patients who underwent cardiac catheterizations from May 2005 through March 2015 at our center. Variables analyzed were type of procedure, results, and follow-up six months after procedure. 197 catheterizations were performed, of which 80 were for single atrial septal defect (ASD), 29 for fenestrated ASD, 49 for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and 39 for other procedures. Device closure of single ASD was successful in 75 of 79 attempts and in 27 of 28 attempts for fenestrated ASD. PDA closure was successful in 45 of 46 attempts. Follow-up data of 6 months or more were available for 127 patients. All but two patients had no cardiovascular symptoms at 6 months. There were four minor complications and no major complications. With a technical success rate of 94.9% for single ASD closure, 97.8% for PDA closure, and results comparable to those of multi-institutional registries, cardiac catheterization and interventions can be performed safely with excellent results. Performing procedures in such an arrangement is safe, feasible, and economically beneficial.