Introduction: Transseptal puncture (TSP) is the conventional approach to assess the left atrial chamber. This technique has been widely used in interventional cardiology and, in the last years, this approach is mostly applied to electrophysiologic procedures. For atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, two or more transseptal sheaths are often positioned in the left atrium in the majority of centers, therefore requiring two or more transseptal punctures. Theoretically, double puncture could bear additional risks or could increase the risk of persistence of septal defects. We reported the results of a retrospective analysis of a single transseptal puncture as a simplified approach for positioning multiple catheters in the left atrium during AF ablation.
Methods: Between November 2003 and November 2005, 1,150 consecutive patients (mean age 54 +/- 8 years, 75% men) were considered for AF ablation and underwent single transseptal puncture for positioning multiple catheters in the left atrium.
Results: In only 6 of 1,150 (0.5%) cases a second transseptal puncture was required to position the ablation catheter in the left atrium. Neither acute complications related to transseptal catheterization such as atrial or aortic perforations, pericardial tamponade, thrombotic formation, or air embolism, nor complications due to the attempts of crossing the septum with the ablation catheter were reported. In all cases, each mapping catheter was properly maneuvered at different sites in the left atrium and at the pulmonary veins. In no patient was a residual septal atrial defect after the transseptal maneuvers detected during a mean follow up of 14 +/- 2 months.
Conclusions: This retrospective study on a large cohort of patients shows that single transseptal puncture for positioning two or more catheters in the left atrium for AF ablation is a highly successful and safe maneuver with a very low morbidity in the majority of patients. This may avoid potential complications related to a second transseptal puncture.