TY - JOUR
T1 - Sealing the left atrial appendage
T2 - Ready for prime time?
AU - El-Chami, Mikhael F.
AU - Hoffman, Mathew
AU - Lerakis, Stamatios
PY - 2007/5
Y1 - 2007/5
N2 - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia and a leading cause of stroke. Warfarin reduces the incidence of thromboemboli and is recommended for most patients with AF. However, oral anticoagulation is contraindicated or not tolerated by a significant percentage of patients with AF. Occlusion of the left atrial appendage, the major source of emboli in atrial fibrillation, has been shown to be a potential alternative to warfarin in patients with AF who have contraindications to anticoagulation. In this article, we describe the current percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion devices, their safety in recent trials, and their potential role in stroke prevention in AF.
AB - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia and a leading cause of stroke. Warfarin reduces the incidence of thromboemboli and is recommended for most patients with AF. However, oral anticoagulation is contraindicated or not tolerated by a significant percentage of patients with AF. Occlusion of the left atrial appendage, the major source of emboli in atrial fibrillation, has been shown to be a potential alternative to warfarin in patients with AF who have contraindications to anticoagulation. In this article, we describe the current percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion devices, their safety in recent trials, and their potential role in stroke prevention in AF.
KW - Atrial fibrillation
KW - Left atrial appendage occlusion
KW - Stroke
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34249057251&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3180533bfb
DO - 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3180533bfb
M3 - Review article
C2 - 17505170
AN - SCOPUS:34249057251
SN - 0002-9629
VL - 333
SP - 285
EP - 289
JO - American Journal of the Medical Sciences
JF - American Journal of the Medical Sciences
IS - 5
ER -