Project description:BackgroundPericardial effusion is a common complication of percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) closure. Acute management is the cornerstone of pericardial effusion treatment and interrupting the intervention is often required.Case summaryA 65-year-old man presented an acute 10 mm pericardial effusion following pigtail contrast appendage injection. A rapid Watchman Flex 24 mm (Boston Scientific) deployment permitted bleeding interruption. A needle pericardiocentesis was achieved in order to prevent any haemodynamical instability.DiscussionThis case report describes an atypical cause of pericardial effusion and a technique for bleeding control with LAA closure device deployment.
Project description:BackgroundFrailty is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in older adults. Whether frailty predicts adverse outcomes after percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) remains uncertain.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the association between frailty and clinical outcomes after percutaneous LAAC.MethodsWe identified patients 65 years and older in Medicare fee-for-service claims who underwent LAAC between October 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019. Patients were identified as frail on the basis of the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS), a validated frailty measure centered on health resource utilization, with the cohort stratified into low (<5), intermediate (5-15), and high (>15) risk groups.ResultsOf the 21,787 patients who underwent LAAC, 10,740 (49.3%) were considered frail (HFRS >5), including 3441 (15.8%) in the high-risk group. The mortality rate (up to 1095 days) were 16.1% in the low-risk group, 26.7% in the intermediate-risk group, and 41.1% in the high-risk group (P < .001). After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, HFRS >15 (compared with HFRS <5) was associated with a higher risk of long hospital stay (odds ratio [OR] 8.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.94-11.57), 30-day readmission (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.58-2.05), 30-day mortality (OR 5.68, 95% CI 3.40-9.40), and 1-year mortality (OR 2.83, 95% CI 2.39-3.35). In restricted cubic spline models, the adjusted OR for all outcomes monotonically increased with increasing HFRS.ConclusionFrailty is common in patients undergoing LAAC and is associated with increased risks of long hospital stay, readmissions, and short-term mortality.
Project description:Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has proven to be an effective alternative to oral anticoagulation (OAC) for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). International guidelines traditionally recommend LAAC for NVAF patients at high thromboembolic risk and contraindication to or at high risk for OAC. However, there are many other clinical situations in which this procedure may also be beneficial. This paper discusses the potential role of LAAC in specific haemorrhagic diseases (cerebral amyloid angiopathy, age-related macular degeneration, hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, and Moyamoya disease), after left atrial appendage (LAA) electrical isolation, in cases of persistent thrombus inside the LAA, in end-stage renal disease and in special groups of patients for whom low compliance and persistence to OAC may be anticipated.
Project description:Background Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is considered a valid alternative for the prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients with persistent left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) despite adequate anticoagulation. However, the data on LAAC using the LAmbre device for patients with LAAT is limited. This study was performed to explore efficacy and safety as well as to share the experience of the modified LAAC procedure with the LAmbre device. Materials and methods A total of 7 patients with persistent LAAT despite adequate anticoagulation underwent modified LAAC with the LAmbre device between November 2019 and April 2022. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed 3 months postoperatively to detect device-related thrombosis and peridevice leak. The patients’ clinical events were evaluated during the perioperative and follow-up periods. Results The median age, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and HAS-BLED score of all patients were 71 [53–73], 3 [2–4], and 2 [2–3], respectively. In the procedure, a cerebral protection system was used in two patients. LAAC with the LAmbre device was successfully performed in all patients without perioperative events. During the median follow-up of 383 [325–865] days, postoperative transesophageal echocardiography was performed in six (85.7%) patients. Device-related thrombosis was detected in one (16.7%) patient, and no significant peridevice leak was observed. No thromboembolic event or bleeding event occurred in any patients. Conclusion LAAC with the LAmbre device is effective and safe when performed by experienced operators in highly selected patients with LAAT after adequate anticoagulation.
Project description:Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and a high risk for oral anticoagulation can be treated by percutaneous implantation of left atrial appendage occlusion devices (LAAC) to reduce the risk of cardio-embolic stroke. This study evaluates whether LAAC may influence lipid metabolism, which has never been investigated before. Patients with successful LAAC were included consecutively. Venous peripheral blood samples of patients were collected immediately before (T0, baseline) and 6 months after (T1, mid-term) LAAC. A targeted metabolomics approach based on electrospray ionization liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS/MS) and MS/MS measurements was performed. A total of 34 lipids revealed a significant change from baseline to mid-term follow-up after successful LAAC. Subgroup analysis revealed confounding influence by gender, age, diabetes mellitus type II, body mass index, left ventricular ejection fraction, creatinine and NT-proBNP. After multivariable adjustment within logistic regression models, these 34 lipids were still significantly altered after LAAC. Successful percutaneous LAAC may affect lipid metabolism and thereby may potentially affect pro-atherogenic and cardio-toxic effects.