'Near death' thromboembolic episode following device closure of atrial septal defect

Abstract

Life-threatening pulmonary thromboembolism is a rare complication following device closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD). Our case is a 17-year old female who presented with a sudden cardiorespiratory arrest due to pulmonary thromboembolism, 5 months following a device closure of her ASD. She was successfully resuscitated and then underwent removal of the device with the associated clots and patch closure of the ASD. She made an uneventful recovery. We report this case to highlight that life-threatening thromboembolic complications can occur with ASD device closure.