Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 41 in total

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  1. Chan KC, Alwi M
    Med J Malaysia, 1987 Jun;42(2):97-103.
    PMID: 3503198
    Eleven consecutive cases of simple transposition of great arteries were palliated by balloon atrial septostomy, The arterial saturation was improved and the gradient across the atrial septum was reduced or abolished. Improvement in the clinical status was achieved in all the patients. There was no mortality and morbidity was mild. A description of the technique as well as a brief review of the anatomy and haemodynamics of complete transposition of great arteries are the aims of this paper.
  2. Alwi M, Hamid ZA, Zambahari R
    Br Heart J, 1992 Jul;68(1):6-8.
    PMID: 1515294
    Continuous wave Doppler recordings of the turbulent jet through the restrictive orifice of a left atrial partition in a patient with corrected transposition of the great arteries and cor triatriatum showed alternate bands of high intensity diastolic and low intensity systolic signals with preservation of the normal configuration of the diastolic E and A peaks. It is thought that Doppler studies in cor triatriatum will provide useful complementary haemodynamic information in the echocardiographic diagnosis of this anomaly.
  3. Ismail Z, Alwi M, Lim MK, Murtazam HA, Jamaluddin A
    Acta Paediatr Jpn, 1994 Feb;36(1):44-8.
    PMID: 8165907
    Nine children, aged 2.5 months to 16 years, presenting with tachyarrhythmias were treated with intravenous (i.v.) flecainide, a type 1C antiarrhythmic drug. There were four boys and five girls; seven were supraventricular and two ventricular tachycardias and three had structural cardiac abnormalities. The i.v. dose required to terminate the arrhythmias ranged from 1.0 to 2.4 mg/kg (mean 1.55 mg/kg) although a mean of 1.94 mg/kg per dose was required to maintain sustained sinus rhythm after a single i.v. dose. Eight of the patients--six supraventricular and two ventricular tachyarrhythmias, required maintenance oral flecainide. Oral dosages of 6.7-9.5 mg/kg per day (mean of 7.97 mg/kg per day in three divided doses) were required to effectively prevent the tachyarrhythmias. Intravenous and oral flecainide are safe and effective in terminating supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. No evidence of proarrhythmia was found in the patients during follow up of between 5 and 9 months. The present limitation of performing radiofrequency ablation on infants and small children justifies the important place of medical therapy for re-entrant supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
  4. Alwi M, Kang LM, Samion H, Latiff HA, Kandavel G, Zambahari R
    Am J Cardiol, 1997 May 15;79(10):1430-2.
    PMID: 9165178 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9149(97)00160-4
    Two hundred eleven patients with small- to moderate-sized native patent ductus arteriosus underwent closure using Gianturco coils, employing the transvenous multiple catheter approach. Short-term results showed a high rate of complete occlusion and a potential long-term complication of mild left pulmonary artery stenosis in a small number of patients.
  5. Abdul Aziz B, Alwi M
    Catheter Cardiovasc Interv, 1999 Oct;48(2):191-3.
    PMID: 10506777
    We report a case of a 14-month-old-infant with severe congenital mitral stenosis who presented with pulmonary oedema, acute renal failure and haemodynamic instability. Balloon dilatation was successfully performed under fluoroscopic and transesophageal echocardiographic guidance. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 48:191-193, 1999.
  6. Latiff HA, Alwi M, Kandhavel G, Samion H, Zambahari R
    Ann Thorac Surg, 1999 Oct;68(4):1400-1.
    PMID: 10543517
    A 10-month-old boy underwent operation to close a large secundum atrial septal defect and multiple muscular ventricular septal defects. Closure of the ventricular septal defects was unsuccessful and led to worsening cardiac failure and inability to wean the patient from mechanical ventilation. Transcatheter closure of the ventricular septal defects using Gianturco coils was undertaken. This technique is an effective alternative for closure of multiple muscular ventricular septal defects in infants and small children.
  7. Alwi M, Geetha K, Bilkis AA, Lim MK, Hasri S, Haifa AL, et al.
    J Am Coll Cardiol, 2000 Feb;35(2):468-76.
    PMID: 10676696
    We compared the result of radiofrequency (RF)-assisted valvotomy and balloon dilation with closed surgical valvotomy and Blalock Taussig (BT) shunt as primary treatment in selected patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum (PA-IVS).
  8. Rahim AF, Hitam WH, Alwi MN, Ghazali G, Rahim SZ
    Malays J Med Sci, 2000 Jul;7(2):9-12.
    PMID: 22977384
    To aid future curriculum revision and planning, a batch of newly graduated medical students were surveyed using a questionnaire containing items representing possible areas of concern during house-officership. Students rated items representing communication issues as areas of concern. They did not agree that areas concerning responsibilities as a doctor, continuing medical education, theoretical and practical skills and potentially stressful working conditions were problem areas. Communication skills should remain among the priority areas for undergraduate training. Students should also be given more information about the house-officership period prior to graduation. Further study is needed to confirm perceived strengths of the USM curriculum suggested by the study, which are skills in finding resources for further learning and skills in leadership. A task-analysis of the house-officership period is also needed.
  9. Bilkis AA, Alwi M, Hasri S, Haifa AL, Geetha K, Rehman MA, et al.
    J Am Coll Cardiol, 2001 Jan;37(1):258-61.
    PMID: 11153748 DOI: 10.1016/s0735-1097(00)01094-9
    Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the Amplatzer ductal occluder (ADO) in transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
    Background: Transcatheter closure of small to moderate sized PDAs is an established procedure. The ADO is a self-expandable device with a number of salutary features, notably its retrievability, ease of delivery via small 5F to 7F catheters and a range of sizes suitable even for the larger PDAs.
    Methods: Between November 1997 and August 1999, the ADO was successfully implanted in 205 of 209 patients with PDA. The inclusion criteria for this device occlusion method were patients with clinical and echocardiographic features of moderate to large PDA, weighing > or =3.5 kg as well as asymptomatic adolescents and adults with PDA measuring > or =5.0 mm on two-dimensional (2D) echocardiogram. Occlusion was achieved via the antegrade venous approach. Follow-up evaluations were performed with 2D echocardiogram, color-flow mapping and Doppler measurement of the descending aorta and left pulmonary artery velocity at 24 h and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after implantation.
    Results: Two hundred and five patients had successful PDA occlusion using this device. The patients were between two months and 50 years (median 1.9) and weighed between 3.4 kg and 63.2 (median 8.4). Infants made up 26% of the total patients. The PDA measured from 1.8 to 12.5 mm (mean 4.9) at the narrowest diameter. Forty-four percent of patients achieved immediate complete occlusion. On color Doppler the closure rates at 24 h and 1 month after implant were 66% and 97%, respectively. At 6 and 12 months all except one patient attained complete occlusion. Device embolization occurred in three patients; in two this was spontaneous, and in the other it was due to catheter manipulation during postimplant hemodynamic measurement. Mild aortic narrowing was seen in an infant.
    Conclusions: Patent ductus arteriosus occlusion using ADO is safe and efficacious. It is particularly useful in symptomatic infants and small children with relatively large PDA. Embolization can be minimized by selection of appropriate sized devices, and caution should be exercised in infants <5 kg.
  10. Latiff HA, Samion H, Kandhavel G, Aziz BA, Alwi M
    Cardiol Young, 2001 Mar;11(2):201-4.
    PMID: 11293739
    BACKGROUND: From January, 1997, as part of an international multicentric trial, we have been closing small-to-moderate atrial septal defects within the oval fossa using the Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO, AGA Medical).

    METHODS: All patients with defects within the oval fossa deemed potentially suitable for transcatheter closure were investigated by transesophageal echocardiography with the aim of gaining extra information that might alter the decision to use the device to close the defect. Views were obtained in transverse and longitudinal planes, permitting measurements of the diameter of the defect, and its distance from the atrioventricular valves, coronary sinus, and pulmonary veins. Additionally, we sought to identify multiple defects, and to exclude sinus venosus defects.

    RESULTS: Of 56 patients with left-to-right shunts, 41 (73.2%) were deemed suitable for closure with the Amplatzer Septal Occluder. All underwent the procedure successfully, with no complications. This includes 5 patients with multiple small defects that were sufficiently close to the main defect to be closed with a single device. Only two of these had been detected on the transthoracic study. In the remaining 15 of 56 patients, transcatheter closure was deemed unsuitable. In 9 patients, this was due to the limitation of the size of the device available during the period of study, this representing a relative contraindication. In the remaining 6 (10.7%), transcatheter closure was not performed because multiple defects were too far apart to be closed with a single device in 3 patients, two patients were noted to have a sinus venosus defect, and another was noted to have anomalous connection of the right upper pulmonary vein to the right atrium. Excluding patients contraindicated due to the size of the defect alone, transesophageal echocardiography provided extra information in one-tenth of our patients, which altered the decision regarding management.

    CONCLUSION: Transesophageal echocardiography is indispensable in the evaluation of patients undergoing transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect.

  11. Latiff HA, Alwi M, Samion H, Kandhavel G
    Cardiol Young, 2002 May;12(3):224-8.
    PMID: 12365167
    This study reviewed the short-term outcome of transcatheter closure of the defects within the oval fossa using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder. From January 1997 to December 2000, 210 patients with defects within the oval fossa underwent successful transcatheter closure. We reviewed a total of 190 patients with left-to-right shunts, assessing the patients for possible complications and the presence of residual shunts using transthoracic echocardiogram at 24 h, 1 month, 3 months and one year. Their median age was 10 years, with a range from 2 to 64 years, and their median weight was 23.9 kg, with a range from 8.9 to 79 kg. In 5 patients, a patent arterial duct was closed, and in 2 pulmonary balloon valvoplasty performed, at the same sitting. The median size of the Amplatzer device used was 20 mm, with a range from 9 to 36 mm. The median times for the procedure and fluoroscopy were 95 min, with a range from 30 to 210 min, and 18.4 min, with a range from 5 to 144 min, respectively. Mean follow-up was 20.8 +/- 12.4 months. Complete occlusion was obtained in 168 of 190 (88%) patients at 24 h, 128 of 133 (96.2%) at 3 months, and 103 of 104 (99%) at one year. Complications occurred in 4 (2.1%) patients. In one, the device became detached, in the second the device embolized into the right ventricular outflow tract, the lower end of the device straddled in the third, and the final patient had significant bleeding from the site of venupuncture. There were no major complications noted on follow-up. We conclude that transcatheter closure of defects within the oval fossa using the Amplatzer Septal Occluder is safe and effective. Long-term follow-up is required, nonetheless, before it is recommended as a standard procedure.
  12. Adeeb SMSJ, Leman H, Sallehuddin A, Yakub A, Awang Y, Alwi M
    Med J Malaysia, 2004 Mar;59(1):11-4.
    PMID: 15535329
    This retrospective study illustrates our approach to this problem over the years, from performing subclavian flap aortoplasty initially to the more accepted procedure now, which is resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Coarctation of aorta in our population is seen in a varying age groups and are also associated with other cardiac anomalies including both acyanotic and cyanotic congenital cardiac defects. Therefore a wide variety of surgical procedures were performed including resection of the coarcted segment and end-to-end anastomosis, subclavian flap aortoplasty, patch aortoplasty and synthetic tube graft interposition. Subclavian flap aortoplasty is not widely practised anymore in favour of resection with end-to-end anastomosis. Fifty four point four percent of patients had isolated coarctation, 10.5% had associated valvular defects, 28.1% had other simple congenital defects and 7.0% had associated complex cyanotic congenital defects. Perioperative mortality was 5.26% and is correlated with the younger age of patients at time of surgery and severity of cardiac failure at time of presentation. We did not see any difference in mortality for patients with complex congenital disease or between the different surgical procedures. However, we did find that in the early period when resection with end-to-end anastomosis was performed, there was a significantly higher incidence of morbidities.
  13. Alwi M, Choo KK, Latiff HA, Kandavello G, Samion H, Mulyadi MD
    J Am Coll Cardiol, 2004 Jul 21;44(2):438-45.
    PMID: 15261945 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2004.03.066
    Objectives: This study was designed to assess the safety, efficacy, medium-term outcome, and complications of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) stenting in duct-dependent pulmonary circulation.
    Background: Patent ductus arteriosus stenting has been proposed as an alternative to surgical shunt on account of postoperative morbidity and complications of surgical shunting.
    Methods: Between April 2000 and February 2003, 69 patients with duct-dependent pulmonary circulation underwent cardiac catheterization with the intent of PDA stenting as first palliative procedure. Patients with critical pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum post-radiofrequency valvotomy who had PDA stenting were excluded. Thirteen more patients were excluded because of branch pulmonary artery (PA) stenosis. The follow-up was by clinical examination, echocardiography, and repeat cardiac catheterization at six to nine months following the procedure.
    Results: Patent ductus arteriosus stenting was successful in 51 patients (91.1%) and failed in 5 patients (8.9%). The mean narrowest PDA diameter was 1.9 +/- 0.6 mm. The mean procedure and fluoroscopy time were 95.7 min and 29.4 min, respectively. In one patient the stent dislodged and migrated to the left femoral artery and another patient developed transient intravascular hemolysis. There was no procedure-related mortality. Three patients (5.9%) died one day to two months after the procedure. At follow-up (3.2 months to 2.4 years), 8 patients developed significant stent stenosis requiring reintervention. Seven patients developed worsening of preexisting branch PA stenosis. The freedom from reintervention was 89% and 55% at 6 months and 1 year, respectively.
    Conclusions: Patent ductus arteriosus stenting is an attractive alternative to surgical shunt in a majority of patients with duct-dependent circulation. An absolute contraindication to this technique is the presence of branch pulmonary stenosis.
  14. Alwi M, Kandavello G, Choo KK, Aziz BA, Samion H, Latiff HA
    Cardiol Young, 2005 Apr;15(2):141-7.
    PMID: 15845156
    Some patients with pulmonary atresia with an intact ventricular septum, mild to moderate right ventricular hypoplasia, and a patent infundibulum remain duct dependent on the flow of blood through the arterial duct despite adequate relief of the obstruction within the right ventricular outflow tract. The objective of our study was to review the risk factors for stenting of the patent arterial duct, or construction of a Blalock-Taussig shunt, in the patients with pulmonary atresia and an intact ventricular septum who remain duct-dependent following radiofrequency valvotomy and dilation of the imperforate pulmonary valve. We reviewed the data from 53 patients seen between November 1995 and December 2001. Of the 47 patients who survived, 6 required stenting of the patent arterial duct, while 4 needed construction of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt to augment the flow of blood to the lungs at a mean of 7 plus or minus 5.7 days following the initial intervention. The remaining 37 patients required no additional procedures. We compared the findings in these two groups. The mean diameter of the tricuspid valve in the patients requiring early reintervention was 8.5 plus or minus 3.7 millimetres, giving a Z-score of -1.1 plus or minus 1.47, whilst those in the group without early reintervention had values of 10.7 plus or minus 2.2 millimetres, giving a Z-score of -0.58 plus or minus 1.18 (p equal to 0.003). No statistically significant differences were found in right ventricular morphology, McGoon ratio, or residual obstruction across the right ventricular outflow tract after decompression of the right ventricle. The diameter of the tricuspid valve, therefore, appears to be the only factor predicting the need for augmentation of flow of blood to the lungs. As just over one-fifth of our survivors required such augmentation, we hypothesize that stenting of the patent arterial duct may be performed as an integral part of primary transcatheter therapy in patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum who have moderate right ventricular hypoplasia and a small tricuspid valve.
  15. Djer MM, Latiff HA, Alwi M, Samion H, Kandavello G
    Heart Lung Circ, 2006 Feb;15(1):12-7.
    PMID: 16473785
    From November 1997 to June 2002, percutaneous transcatheter closure of muscular ventricular septal defects was attempted in seven patients. Four patients had single and three had multiple defects. Surgical closure was performed in two patients in an attempt to close a perimembranous defect, leaving behind a large apical muscular defect, which was successfully closed using a device in one patient, whilst the second patient succumbed to septicemia/endocarditis 3 weeks after failure of device implantation. One patient had previous pulmonary artery banding and in another intraoperative placement of two Clamshell devices followed by additional transcatheter closure using Gianturco coils in two different sessions was performed.
  16. Alwi M
    Catheter Cardiovasc Interv, 2006 May;67(5):679-86.
    PMID: 16572430 DOI: 10.1002/ccd.20672
    Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PAIVS) is a disease with remarkable morphologic variability, affecting not only the pulmonary valve but also the tricuspid valve, the RV cavity and coronary arteries. With advances in interventional techniques and congenital heart surgery, the management of PAIVS continues to evolve. This review is an attempt at providing a practical approach to the management of this disease. The basis of our approach is morphologic classification as derived from echocardiography and angiography. Group A, patients with good sized RV and membranous atresia, the primary procedure at presentation is radiofrequency (RF) valvotomy. Often it is the only procedure required in this group with the most favourable outcome. Patients with severely hypoplastic RV (Group C) are managed along the lines of hearts with single ventricle physiology. The treatment at presentation is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) stenting with balloon atrial septostomy or conventional modified Blalock Taussig (BT) shunt. Bidirectional Glenn shunt may be done 6-12 months later followed by Fontan completion after a suitable interval. Patients in Group B, the intermediate group, are those with borderline RV size, usually with attenuated trabecular component but well developed infundibulum. The treatment at presentation is RF valvotomy and PDA stenting +/- balloon atrial septostomy. Surgical re-interventions are not uncommonly required viz. bidirectional Glenn shunt when the RV fails to grow adequately (11/2 - ventricle repair) and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction for subvalvar obstruction or small pulmonary annulus. Catheter based interventions viz. repeat balloon dilatation or device closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) may also be required in some patients.
  17. Alwi M
    Ann Pediatr Cardiol, 2008 Jan;1(1):38-45.
    PMID: 20300236 DOI: 10.4103/0974-2069.41054
    Ductal stenting is an attractive alternative to conventional shunt surgery in duct dependent congenital heart disease as it avoids thoracotomy and its related problems. With today's generation of coronary stents which have better profile, flexibility and trackability, ductal stenting may be achieved safely and with considerably less difficulty than previously described.As in Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt, ductal stenting is indicated mainly in duct-dependent cyanotic lesions chiefly in the neonatal period. Unlike the Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) as an isolated lesion, the ductus in cyanotic heart disease has a remarkable morphologic variability. The ductus tends to arise more proximally under the aortic arch, giving rise to a vertical ductus or occasionally it may arise from the subclavian artery. It also tends to be long and sometimes very tortuous, rendering stent implantation technically impossible. The ductus in these patients may also insert onto one of the branch pulmonary arteries with some stenosis at the site of insertion. The ductus in Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia (TOF-PA) tend to exhibit these morphologic features and to a lesser degree in transposition of great arteries with ventricular septal defect and pulmonary atresia (TGA-VSD-PA) and the more complex forms of univentricular hearts. In the preliminary angiographic evaluation, it is important to delineate these morphologic features as the basis for case selection.Ductal stenting may be done by the retrograde femoral artery route or the antegrade transvenous route depending on the ductus morphology and the underlying cardiac lesion. The detailed techniques and essential hardware are described. Finally, major potential complications of the procedure are described. Acute stent thrombosis is the most serious and potentially catastrophic. Emergent treatment with thrombolytic therapy and mechanical disruption of thrombus are required. With proper case selection, appropriate technique and the right hardware ductal stenting provides reasonable short-medium term palliation in duct-dependent cyanotic heart disease.
  18. Alwi M, Choo KK, Radzi NA, Samion H, Pau KK, Hew CC
    J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., 2011 Jun;141(6):1355-61.
    PMID: 21227471 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2010.08.085
    Objectives: Our objective was to determine the feasibility and early to medium-term outcome of stenting the patent ductus arteriosus at the time of radiofrequency valvotomy in the subgroup of patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and intermediate right ventricle.
    Background: Stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus and radiofrequency valvotomy have been proposed as the initial intervention for patients with intermediate right ventricle inasmuch as the sustainability for biventricular circulation or 1½-ventricle repair is unclear in the early period.
    Methods: Between January 2001 and April 2009, of 143 patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum, 37 who had bipartite right ventricle underwent radiofrequency valvotomy and stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus as the initial procedure. The mean tricuspid valve z-score was -3.8 ± 2.2 and the mean tricuspid valve/mitral valve ratio was 0.62 ± 0.16.
    Results: Median age was 10 days (3-65 days) and median weight 3.1 kg (2.4-4.9 kg). There was no procedural mortality. Acute stent thrombosis developed in 1 patient and necessitated emergency systemic-pulmonary shunt. There were 2 early in-hospital deaths owing to low cardiac output syndrome. One late death occurred owing to right ventricular failure after the operation. Survival after the initial procedure was 94% at 6 months and 91% at 5 years. At a median follow-up of 4 years (6 months to 8 years), 17 (48%) attained biventricular circulation with or without other interventions and 9 (26%) achieved 1½-ventricle repair. The freedom from reintervention was 80%, 68%, 58%, and 40% at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively.
    Conclusions: Concomitant stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus at the time of radiofrequency valvotomy in patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and intermediate right ventricle is feasible and safe with encouraging medium-term outcome.
  19. Alwi M
    Future Cardiol, 2012 Mar;8(2):237-50.
    PMID: 22413983 DOI: 10.2217/fca.12.4
    Maintaining ductal patency in duct-dependent congenital heart lesions by implantation of coronary stents is an alternative to systemic pulmonary shunt in selected cases and lesions with suitable anatomy. This article focuses on the procedure as the initial palliation in duct-dependent pulmonary circulation, its associated pitfalls and complications. A good understanding of the diverse duct morphology is paramount prior to stenting of the ductus. Long tortuous duct, insufficiently constricted ductus at the pulmonary end and ductus with associated branch pulmonary artery stenosis at the site of insertion are not suitable for stenting. Durability of palliation is generally inferior to a surgical shunt and this may dictate earlier definitive surgical repair. Acceleration of branch pulmonary artery stenosis in certain ductal morphology limits its general applicability. Bioabsorbable and biodegradable stents may offer some solution to this problem.
  20. Alwi M, Mood MC
    Interv Cardiol Clin, 2013 Jan;2(1):93-113.
    PMID: 28581990 DOI: 10.1016/j.iccl.2012.09.011
    Stenting of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is an attractive alternative to the surgical aortopulmonary shunt in the palliation of cyanotic congenital heart disease. However, the diverse morphology of PDA in this setting limits its role, as stenting an overly tortuous duct may not be feasible, and in a significant number of patients, ductus-related pulmonary artery stenosis contraindicates this procedure. The major acute complications are stent migration, thrombosis, and cardiac failure. Early failure of palliation caused by in-stent stenosis is another limitation of this procedure.

    Study site: Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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