Prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation and/or flutter is another important reason for percutaneous instead of surgical closure of atrial septal defect in adults.

摘要

The recent report from Italy [1] of the protective effect of percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) against the development of atrial fibrillation and/or flutter has important clinical implications. One of the undesirable side effects of delayed repair of atrial septal defects in adults is the development and persistence of postoperative atrial fibrillation and/or flutter [2-4]. Atrial fibrillation is associated with both morbidity and mortality of no small consequence, not only with regard to the cardiovascular system but also the cerebral circulation, namely, stroke [5]. Therefore, any therapeutic intervention that will prevent or reduce postprocedure atrial fibrillation is to be the procedure of choice in the management of ASD in adults.