Experience of percutaneous closure of small to large patent ductus arteriosus with Nit-Occlud device in a tertiary referral hospital in Colombia.

Background: The decision to close patent ductus arteriosus should always be individualized and taken together with the child's family once the risks and benefits of both choices have been exposed.

Objective: This study aims to report the experience and outcomes in patients undergoing endovascular closure of small to medium-size PDA with a Nit-Occlud device in a tertiary referral hospital in Colombia.

Methods: Longitudinal descriptive study, which included all patients under 18 years of age who underwent percutaneous ductal closure with Nit-Occlud device between January 1, 2011, and February 1, 2023. Patients with associated complex congenital heart disease requiring surgical management, pregnant patients, and patients with incomplete data regarding studied variables were excluded from the study.

Results: Eighty-seven patients were documented, with a mean age, weight, and height at closure of 51 months, 14 kg, and 95.83 cm, respectively. About 70% of the patients (n = 61) were female, 76% were under 6-years-old and only one patient was over 15. The average size of the ductus at the pulmonary end was 2 mm. Four of the total number of patients did not achieve PDA closure during the procedure. Of the remaining 83, complete immediate closure was achieved in 81 patients. A device exchange for a larger device was required during the same procedure in one of the cases. Two patients presented residual shunt of 0.5 mm during follow-up, and one required a new procedure for device closure 10 months later. Only one device presented repeatedly embolization to the aorta, requiring surgical removal. As a technical difficulty, one device presented repeated passage into the aorta, so it was decided to remove it before releasing it to avoid complications, and given the complex anatomy of the ductus, surgical closure was indicated. Among the complications, one patient presented a hematoma of the subcutaneous tissue in the right thigh, which improved with medical management, and no deaths related to the procedure were registered.

Conclusions: Using the Nit-Occlud device to close small to moderate-sized ductus remains a safe and effective strategy with successful closure rates at 1-year follow-up irrespective of age, weight, height, or whether it involves a small or medium-sized duct. Despite our limitations, results concerning adverse effects are comparable to those observed in multicentric studies conducted in other regions.