A life-saving case of cardiopulmonary arrest with cardiac tamponade caused by erosion 6 years after percutaneous atrial septal defect closure: a case report

Background Cardiac erosion after percutaneous atrial septal defect (ASD) closure is a rare complication that requires immediate life-saving emergency surgery. In this report, we present our successful life-saving strategy for cardiac arrest due to cardiac tamponade caused by erosion 6 years after the percutaneous closure of an ASD. Case presentation The patient was a 50-year-old man who received treatment using an Amplatzer septal occluder (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA) treatment for ostium secundum atrial septal defect (size: 29.5 x 27.0 mm) at another institution when he was 44 years old. Conclusions This case report presents a bailout surgical strategy for patients who are hemodynamically unstable with risks of coagulopathy and multiple organ failure. This case shows that cardiac surgeons need to be aware of percutaneous ASD-closure complications and should consider a bailout surgical strategy for patients at risk of multiple organ failure.