Intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage closure achieved 100% successful implantation and closure at 45 days, with a 14.8% overall procedure-related complication rate.
Observational (n=27)
No
Does intracardiac echocardiography guidance allow safe and effective left atrial appendage closure in patients with atrial fibrillation?
Intracardiac echocardiography is a safe and feasible alternative to transesophageal echocardiography for guiding left atrial appendage closure.
BACKGROUND: Transcatheter left atrial appendage closure is an alternative therapy for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients. These procedures are currently guided with transesophageal echocardiography and fluoroscopy in most centers. As intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is commonly used in other catheter-based procedures, we sought to determine the safety and effectiveness of intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman device. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 27 patients (11 males, 77.0±8.5 years) with atrial fibrillation receiving Watchman left atrial appendage closure under intracardiac echocardiography guidance at a single center were investigated. All patients were implanted successfully. There were no major procedural complications. The overall procedure-related complication rate was 14.8%, mainly due to access site hematoma. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated successful closure of the left atrial appendage in all patients at 45 days after device implant. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter left atrial appendage closure with intracardiac echocardiography guidance is safe and feasible.
Matsuo et al. (Thu,) conducted a observational in Atrial fibrillation (n=27). Intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage closure (Watchman device) was evaluated on Successful closure of the left atrial appendage at 45 days. Intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage closure achieved 100% successful implantation and closure at 45 days, with a 14.8% overall procedure-related complication rate.