Aims: Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) may be considered for stroke prophylaxis in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Data on device implantation safety and feasibility and long-term follow-up are limited.
Methods and results: LAAO was performed using the AMPLATZER Cardiac Plug (ACP) device in 134 NVAF patients with long-term OAC contraindication, with median (interquartile range) CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores of four (3-5) and three (2-3.75), respectively. Follow-up data were collected over a mean follow-up period of 680 days (range: 42 days to 4.3 years) comprising a total implant experience of 238 patient-years. Device implantation was successful in 95.5% of the procedures and associated with a rate of major procedural complications of 2.2%. At the most recent follow-up, almost all patients were receiving antiplatelet therapy. Ischaemic stroke was observed at an annual rate of 0.8% and the annual rate of any thromboembolic (TE) event was 2.5%. Major bleeding during follow-up occurred at an annual rate of 1.3%.
Conclusions: LAAO is a safe and effective stroke prevention therapy in a high-risk NVAF cohort, both at implantation and over longer follow-up periods. The long-term assessed ischaemic stroke rate in patients treated with LAAO is markedly reduced compared to the expected rate based on the patients' risk scores.