[Analysis of 15 cases of ductus arteriosus stent placement without a guiding catheter through femoral artery approach].

<b>Objective:</b> To investigate the feasibility of ductus arteriosus (DA) stent placement through femoral artery approach without guiding catheter. <b>Methods:</b> In this retrospective case study, the birth weight, intervention age, preoperative echocardiography, intraoperative angiography and other clinical data, as well as the follow-up status (Nakata index and final circulatory status, etc.) of 15 patients with congenital heart disease who are dependent on the DA for pulmonary circulation at Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University between January 2018 to June 2023 were collected. All pediatric patients underwent placement of a DA stent without a guiding catheter, the efficacy and safety of this approach were analyzed. <b>Results:</b> Among all 15 cases, there were 9 males and 6 females, with the birth weight of (3.3±0.3) kg and the intervention age of (15.0±0.1) d. Of which, there were 9 cases of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA-IVS), and 6 cases of critical pulmonary stenosis (CPS) with intact ventricular septum. The tricuspid annulus diameter before intervention was (8.8±0.8) mm, and the tricuspid annulus Z-score was -0.7±0.9. There were 3 cases of mild right ventricular dysplasia, 9 cases of moderate dysplasia, and 3 cases of severe dysplasia. All patients successfully completed the intervention without major complications. The narrowest diameter of the DA was (2.2±0.1) mm, the diameter of the DA stent was (3.9±0.3) mm, the preoperative percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO₂) was 0.83±0.03, and the postoperative SpO₂ was 0.96±0.02. The follow-up time was (7.0±0.5) months. The Nakata index was (163±30) mm²/m² before intervention, and was (173±34) mm²/m² at the last follow-up. Biventricular circulation was successfully achieved in 14 patients, and the other one patient currently under close observation. <b>Conclusion:</b> The placement of a ductus arteriosus stent through femoral artery retrogradely without guiding catheter could serve as an effective and safe plan for neonates with PA-IVS or CPS accompanied by hypoplastic right heart syndrome.