Aims: Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) greatly increases the risk of ischaemic stroke. For people with contraindications to oral anticoagulation, left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) provides a non-pharmacological management alternative. The aim of this study was to measure the procedural safety and longer-term effectiveness of LAAO for AF in a UK setting.
Methods and results: This was a prospective, single-armed registry of patients with AF for whom anticoagulation was unsuitable. Registry data were collected between October 2014 and April 2018 and linked to routine data sources for follow-up. Data from 583 LAAO procedures were entered into the registry, of which 537 (from 525 patients) were eligible for inclusion (median CHA2DS2-VASc score 4). A closure device was successfully implanted in 93.4% of cases, with a procedural success rate (device implanted without major complication) of 88.9%. Five patients (1.0%) died in hospital. During follow-up [median 729 (Q1:Q3, 523:913) days] 45 patients experienced neurological events; 33 of which were ischaemic. The ischaemic neurological event rate was 3.3 (1.6-5.0)% at 1 year (n = 387) and 7.0 (4.3-9.6)% at 2 years (n = 196). There were significant improvements in overall patient health (via Visual Analogue Scale) measured at 6 weeks and 6 months, but no significant improvements observed in patient utility over time.
Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that LAAO is not without procedural risk, but that this risk may be justified in high-risk patients with AF who cannot take an anticoagulant. Moreover, the data do not provide support for more widespread use of LAAO as the complication rate was relatively high and would be difficult to justify in many patients with AF who tolerate anticoagulation.
Keywords: Anticoagulation; Atrial fibrillation; Left atrial appendage occlusion; Stroke.
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.