Does left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) result in comparable long-term outcomes in atrial fibrillation patients with versus without a pre-existing LAA thrombus?
Left atrial appendage closure may be safely performed in selected patients with a distal LAA thrombus, offering long-term outcomes comparable to patients without a thrombus.
Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have a high bleeding risk or contraindications to anticoagulation may be candidates for left atrial appendage closure (LAAC). However, the presence of a thrombus in the left atrial appendage (LAA) is generally considered a contraindication to the procedure. While the feasibility and short-term safety of LAAC in patients with pre-existing LAA thrombus has been reported, data on long-term outcomes remain limited. Objective: To assess the long-term clinical outcomes of AF patients undergoing LAAC in the presence of an LAA thrombus. Methods: This retrospective, single-center registry included all AF patients who underwent LAAC between June 2010 and April 2024. Patients were stratified based on the presence or absence of LAA thrombus at the time of the procedure. The primary endpoint was a 5-year composite of stroke, systemic embolism, or all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 403 patients underwent LAAC, of whom 24 (6%) had an LAA thrombus at the time of the procedure. During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, the primary endpoint occurred in 116 patients: 110 events (41%) in the no-thrombus group and 6 events (38%) in the thrombus group. There was no statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) between groups (log-rank p = 0.862). Conclusions: LAAC may be performed safely in selected patients with distal LAA thrombus, with long-term outcomes comparable to those without thrombus.
Katz et al. (Sun,) studied this question.