RESUMO
Objective:To discuss whether balloon atrial septostomy(BAS) can provide safe and effective left ventricular venting for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(V-A ECMO).Methods:From March 2017 to January 2019, 9 patients received BAS for left ventricular venting during V-A ECMO treatment in our hospital, including 5 males and 4 females, aged 12-72 years. There were 3 cases of severe myocarditis, 4 cases of low cardiac output after cardiac surgery, and 2 cases of acute myocardial infarction. Basic data, procedure data, outcome and follow-up were recorded.Results:BAS were successfully performed in 9 patients. Procedure time on average was 42.2 min. Anterior mediastinal hematoma occurred in 1 case. There were no other procedure-related complications in the rest cases. No pulmonary edema or thrombosis occurred in all 9 cases during ECMO. No closure procedure was performed.Conclusion:BAS is a safe and effective method for left ventricular venting. The procedure is conductive to the recovery of patients with severe left heart failure.