Extra-corporeal life support, transradial thrombus aspiration and stenting, percutaneous blade and balloon atrioseptostomy, all as a bridge to heart transplantation to save one life

In patients with cardiogenic shock, the Extra-Corporeal Life Support (ECLS) has been shown to be lives saving. But, in some situations, it proves inadequate for the discharge of the left heart. Several device-based techniques have been proposed to decompress the left side either surgically or percutaneously, each of them with the proper potential risks and complications. One technique, the percutaneous blade and balloon atrioseptostomy that requires transseptal catheter based experience and consists of creating an atrial septal defect (ASD) could be an elegant technique as an “add on” to the classic assistance making together a bridge to partial recovery or to heart transplantation. Herein, we present a case of an adult patient who presented with inaugural resistant cardiac arrest with a thrombotic occlusion of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) who required Extra-Corporeal Life Support, thrombus aspiration, stenting of the culprit lesion, and percutaneous blade and balloon atrioseptostomy to bridge “safely” to the heart transplantation.