Surgical closure versus transcatheter closure for ventricular septal defect post-infarction: a meta-analysis

Surgical correction of post-infarct ventricular septal defect (PIVSD) is associated with a significant incidence of morbidity and mortality. The authors aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of surgical versus transcatheter approaches in the management of PIVSD. A systematic review and meta-analysis of retrospective from five databases including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, and Scopus) until 9 March 2024 was conducted. Risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes was used and data with a 95% CI are presented. A total of 7 retrospective observational studies with 603 patients were included in the analysis. Surgical closure was associated with a significantly lower short-term mortality and lower number of residual shunt or re-intervention rate compared to percutaneous closure, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.21 (95% CI:1:00-1.46, = 0.05) and 2.68 (95% CI: 1.46-4.91, = 0.001), respectively. Surgical closure was associated with a non-significantly lower long-term mortality rate compared to percutaneous closure, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.10 (95% CI: 0.82-1.48, = 0.52). No difference is reported when time from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or PIVSD to intervention is compared groups, with a relative risk (RR) of -0.24 (95% CI: -4.49 to 4.2, = 0.91). Our meta-analysis shied the light on the significance of surgical closure in terms of short-term mortality and the need for re-intervention. However, no significant difference was observed in terms of long-term mortality and time to intervention.