Percutaneous suture closure for management of large French size arterial and venous puncture

Aortic valvuloplasty procedures have been limited principally by the occurrence of restenosis in this patient population. Once a decision has been made to proceed with aortic valvuloplasty, one of the next major concerns is management of the femoral artery puncture. For these procedures, 12Fr and 14Fr sheath introducers and prolonged compression with clamps or hemostatic devices have been necessary. Prolonged immobilization is painful for the elderly population in whom aortic valvuloplasty is used. The ability to use percutaneous suture closure to eliminate the need for manual compression, especially for clamp or hemostatic devices, has greatly improved patient tolerance for these procedures. A technique for preloading the suture closure device prior to insertion of a large bore sheath is the technique of choice to make this possible. Mitral valvuloplasty has faced fewer limitations and of course yields results equivalent to surgical commissurotomy in randomized trials. Improved management of the 14Fr femoral venous site has made outpatient treatment simpler. The technical approach necessary for success in the venous system uses contrast injections through the Perclose device marker port to insure that the device is properly positioned prior to deployment of the sutures. More rapid immobilization and simplified postprocedural management can be achieved using percutaneous suture closure for large caliber sheaths after mitral and aortic valvuloplasty.