Balloon Atrial Septostomy (BAS)

What is BAS?

Balloon Atrial septoplasty is a procedure to help with the mixing of oxygen rich blood from the left upper chamber (left atrium) to the right upper chamber (right atrium). 

 

Normally the right atrium receives deoxygenated (oxygen poor) blood from the upper part (Superior vena cava)  and the lower part (Inferior vena cava)  of the body, and the left atrium gets the oxygenated blood (oxygen rich) from the lungs through the pulmonary vein. Oxygen poor and oxygen rich blood doesn’t mix together.

 

Disease conditions treated with BAS :  

    Congenital heart diseases like Tricuspid Atresia, Mitral Atresia, Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection  (TAPVC) – all with a restrictive PFO (patent foramen ovale), which affects the cardiac output (amount of the blood put out by the left ventricle in a minute). Right ventricular spam after the balloon dilation of pulmonary valve is also treated with BAS.

    BAS is warranted especially in babies with DTGA ( Dextro transposition of great arteries: Aorta attached to the right ventricle and Pulmonary artery attached to the left ventricle). 

 

Complications from BAS procedure:

• Arrhythmias

• Perforation of the myocardium

• Embolization of tissue particles

• Physical injury to the surrounding structures