Infants with pulmonary atresia intact ventricular septum who require balloon atrial septostomy have significantly higher 18-month mortality.

Patients with pulmonary atresia/intact ventricular septum who require balloon atrial septostomy in the newborn period have significantly higher 18-month mortality. Quantifying the mortality difference may help guide prognostication and expectation setting. Infants who had septostomy and a surgical shunt in the newborn period fared better than those who only underwent septostomy (even when accompanied by ductal stenting). For infants with right ventricular-dependent circulation, atrial septostomy should only be performed on an urgent or emergent basis and these patients should be considered for early surgical intervention and neonatal transplant.