Comparison of variants of anesthesia for left atrial appendage occlusion in patients with atrial fbrillation

Objective: comparison of general anesthesia (GA) and intravenous conscious sedation during left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO). Materials and Methods. The study included 120 patients from LAAO Register at the National Medical Research Center of Cardiology, who were divided into GA (n = 100) and intravenous sedation (n = 20) groups. In-hospital outcomes were assessed, as well as outcomes and data of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) at 45 days and 6 months. Results. 3 patients required intraoperative conversion of the anesthetic method to GA. The duration of the procedure, the time of fluoroscopy, the amount of contrast medium, and the technical success did not differ signifcantly between the two groups. The incidence of in-hospital complications in the GA group was 10%, and 15% in the intravenous sedation group (p = 0.453). There were no statistically signifcant differences between the groups in long-term outcomes and TEE data after 45 days and 6 months. Conclusion. Combined intravenous sedation with local anesthesia is an effective and fairly safe method of anesthesiological support for implantation of the occluder of the left atrial auricle. It can be used in patients with a high risk of GA, with predictable difculties of tracheal intubation, as well as if the patient wishes accordingly. The limitations of the use of intravenous sedation in combination with local anesthesia are anatomical variants of SFM that are difcult for occluder implantation, as well as the patient's low tolerance to ECG in consciousness.