Vascular plugs – A key companion to Interventionists – ‘Just Plug it’

• Main Author: Sivasubramanian Ramakrishnan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2015-07-01
• Series: Indian Heart Journal
• Subjects: Amplatzer vascular plug; Device therapy; Embolization; Occlusion
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019483215002345

Vascular plugs are ideally suited to close extra-cardiac, high flowing vascular communications. The family of vascular plugs has expanded. Vascular plugs in general have a lower profile and the newer variants can be delivered even through a diagnostic catheter. These features make them versatile and easy to use. The Amplatzer vascular plugs are also used for closing intracardiac defects including coronary arterio-venous fistula and paravalvular leakage in an off-label fashion. In this review, the features of currently available vascular plugs are reviewed along with tips and tricks of using them in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.