Transseptal puncture through the atrial septal occluder in patient with atrial fibrillation for guided radiofrequency ablation procedure using remote magnetic navigation: a clinical case

Access to the left atrium during transseptal puncture for radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and implanted atrial septal occluder can be challenging. This is particularly true when the occluder covers the entire septum and there is no ideal puncture site. This might lead to potential difficulties in arrhythmia treatment. A 59-year-old patient with drug refractory AF, a dilated left atrium, and an implanted atrial septal occluder underwent double transseptal puncture through atrial septal occluder with subsequent pulmonary vein isolation using remote magnetic navigation. The effectiveness of the manipulation was confirmed by intraoperative stimulation from the Lasso catheter and by Holter monitoring data post-operation. It was revealed that the patient had sinus rhythm and no complications occurred. There were no shunts at the occluder level on transthoracic echocardiography, and there were no atrial tachyarrhythmias during the nine-month follow up period without antiarrhythmic drugs. The presented clinical case demonstrates the safety and efficacy of transseptal puncture through an implanted occluder in the interatrial septum to perform re-ablation using robotic magnetic navigation in a patient with AF.