Percutaneous closure of secundum atrial septal defects

In 1975 Drs. Terry King and Noel Mills performed the first percutaneous closure of a secundum atrial septal defect. This remarkable innovation sparked over 35 years of dramatic advances resulting in a variety of devices designed for the sole purpose of closing secundum atrial septal defects. These devices have various shapes, sizes, and delivery methods. No device has been perfect, and each device increases our knowledge and understanding of percutaneous closure of secundum atrial septal defects. In this manuscript we review the history of percutaneous atrial septal defect closure and will provide a brief discussion of many of the devices from the past, present, and future.