scholarly journals Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus Detected During Hyperacute Stroke Imaging Is Associated With Atrial Fibrillation

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 3760-3764
Author(s):  
Sajith C. Senadeera ◽  
David G. Palmer ◽  
Ross Keenan ◽  
James Beharry ◽  
Jen Yuh Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Vessel Occlusion ◽  
Imaging Protocol ◽  
Hyperacute Stroke ◽  
Stroke Imaging

Background and Purpose: Left atrial appendage (LAA) is the likely embolic source in atrial fibrillation (AF)–related cardioembolic strokes. We sought to determine the prevalence of LAA thrombus on hyperacute stroke imaging and its association with AF. Methods: We retrospectively examined the clinical and radiological features of patients assessed through the hyperacute stroke imaging pathway over a 12-month period at Christchurch Hospital. The LAA was included in the computed tomography angiogram scan-range as part of the multimodal imaging protocol. Two radiological readers blinded to clinical information independently assessed for the presence of LAA thrombus. The association between AF and LAA thrombus was determined by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 303 patients included in the analysis, the overall prevalence of LAA thrombus was 6.6% and 14.9% in patients with known AF. Patients with LAA thrombus were older (85 versus 75 years, P <0.01), more commonly had known or newly diagnosed AF (75% versus 30%, P <0.01) and heart failure (30% versus 8%, P =0.01), and was associated with intracranial large vessel occlusion (65% versus 39%, P =0.02). In the multivariable model, AF (odds ratio, 3.71 [95% CI, 1.25–11.01] P =0.02) was independently associated with LAA thrombus after adjusting for age and congestive heart failure. Interrater reliability was moderate (kappa=0.56). Conclusions: LAA thrombus is a potential radiological marker of AF and can be assessed as a part of hyperacute stroke imaging.

scholarly journals Game changer? A sporting indication to implant a left atrial appendage closure device in a rugby player with atrial fibrillation: a case report

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Andre Briosa e Gala ◽  
Andrew Cox ◽  
Michael Pope ◽  
Timothy Betts
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Rugby Player ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion ◽  
Occlusion Device

Abstract Background Caring for athletes with cardiac disease requires an approach that caters to the specific needs of the athlete. Case summary A 27-year-old professional rugby player was admitted with decompensated heart failure and atrial fibrillation (AF). Transthoracic echocardiogram showed features in keeping with a dilated cardiomyopathy with severe left ventricular (LV) systolic impairment. He made good progress on evidence-based heart failure medication and his LV systolic function returned to normal. He failed to maintain sinus rhythm with cardioversion and remained in persistent AF. He then suffered a transient ischaemic attack despite appropriate anticoagulation. At 1-year follow-up, he was asymptomatic and against medical advice continued to play competitive rugby whilst taking rivaroxaban. He subsequently underwent implantation with a percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion device, allowing him to discontinue anticoagulation, reduce his bleeding risk and resume his career, whilst simultaneously lowering the thromboembolic risk. Discussion Counselling should include different management options aimed at minimizing the risks to athletes if they to return to competitive sports. Left atrial appendage occlusion devices are a suitable AF-related stroke prevention strategy in athletes competing in full-contact sports.

Low flow in the left atrial appendage assessed by transesophageal echocardiography is associated with increased stroke severity—Results of a single-center cross-sectional study

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-429
Author(s):  
Marlena Schnieder ◽  
Tariq Siddiqui ◽  
André Karch ◽  
Mathias Bähr ◽  
Gerd Hasenfuß ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Stroke Severity ◽  
Stroke Risk Factor ◽  
Threshold Phenomenon

Background About 25% of strokes are thought to be cryptogenic. There is growing evidence that most of these cryptogenic strokes are thromboembolic and caused by an undetected atrial fibrillation. Measured slow flow in the left atrial appendage has been proposed to be an indicator for the thromboembolic risk since it is possibly associated with undetected atrial fibrillation. Methods We evaluated all patients (n = 909; mean of 62 years, 39% female) admitted with an ischemic stroke (84%) or transient ischemic attack to our university medical center who underwent transesophageal echocardiography examination 2012–2014. Baseline characteristics, cardio-/neurovascular risk factors, electrocardiogram monitoring data, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale values, the localization of the stroke, as well as transesophageal echocardiography findings were analyzed. Results Stroke severity measured by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale in patients with a low flow in the left atrial appendage was significantly higher than in patients without left atrial appendage low flow (p < 0.001). There was a threshold phenomenon in flow velocity at about 60 cm/s above which no significant change in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale values could be observed. These patients were significantly different concerning incidence of heart failure (10.6% vs. 2.3%; p < 0.001) and atrial fibrillation (32.2% vs. 8.8%; p < 0.001). However, threshold phenomenon of left atrial appendage flow was unchanged when excluding atrial fibrillation and heart failure patients. Conclusions A low flow in the left atrial appendage was associated with clinically elevated stroke severity and could be indicated as an independent stroke risk factor. Further prospective studies are warranted to evaluate beneficial effects of therapeutic options in these patients also in the assumed absence of atrial fibrillation.

Anesthetic Management of Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Endocardial and Epicardial Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeena Husain ◽  
Payam Safavi-Naeini ◽  
Abdi Rasekh ◽  
Mehdi Razavi ◽  
Charles D. Collard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Anesthetic Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion ◽  
Antiarrhythmic Medications

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in adults affecting almost 6 million adults in the United States. The 2 most common comorbidities associated with atrial fibrillation are heart failure and thromboembolic events. Heart failure symptoms may be treated with rate control, antiarrhythmic medications or by catheter ablation. Unfortunately, despite optimal medical management, thromboembolic events still occur. Recently, there has been a great deal of interest and innovation in finding an alternative to chronic anticoagulation. Several percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion devices have been developed over recent years, some of which have proven to be noninferior to anticoagulation in preventing strokes in atrial fibrillation patients. The 2 most widely used left atrial appendage occlusion devices are the WATCHMAN (Atritech Inc, Plymouth, MN, USA) and the LARIAT (SentreHEART, Palo Alto, CA, USA) devices. After a detailed description of the procedures, the anesthetic considerations of each procedure and management of specific adverse events are discussed within this review.

Risk of left atrial appendage thrombus and stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and mitral regurgitation

Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Rowlens Melduni ◽  
Vuyisile T Nkomo ◽  
Waldemar Wysokinski ◽  
Bernard J Gersh ◽  
Abhishek Deshmukh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Mitral Regurgitation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus ◽  
Cox Regression Analysis

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of mitral regurgitation (MR) on thromboembolic risk of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) undergoing transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE)-guided cardioversion.MethodsData for consecutive patients who underwent TEE-guided cardioversion for NVAF between 2000 and 2012 were analysed. MR severity was assessed by Doppler echocardiography and classified as ≤mild, moderate or severe. Left atrial appendage emptying velocities were averaged for five consecutive cycles. Multivariable regression models were used to identify independent predictors of left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) and stroke.Results2950 patients (age, 69.3±12.2 years, 67% men) were analysed. 2173 (73.7%) had ≤mild MR; 631 (21.4%), moderate MR; and 146 (4.9%), severe MR. Patients with moderate (age, 72.4±10.7 years) and severe (age, 72.8±12.1 years) MR were older than those with ≤mild MR (age, 68.2±12.5 years). The prevalence of LAAT was 1.5% (n=43). CHA2DS2-VASc scores (≤mild MR, 3.0±1.6; moderate MR, 3.5±1.5; severe MR, 3.9±1.5; p<0.001) and heart failure frequency (≤mild MR, 38.4%; moderate MR, 48.0%; severe MR, 69.2%; p<0.001) were increasingly higher with greater MR severity. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed no association of moderate MR (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.56) or severe MR (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.49) with LAAT. During a mean follow-up of 7.3±5.1 years (median 7.5, IQR, 2.7–10.9), 216 patients had an ischaemic stroke. Adjusted Cox regression analysis showed no significant association of moderate MR (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.68) or severe MR (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.46) with stroke.ConclusionsAmong patients with NVAF, the presence or severity of MR was not associated with a decreased risk of LAAT or stroke.

scholarly journals Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus Formation Despite Continuous Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Undergoing Electrical Cardioversion or Catheter Ablation: A Comparison of Dabigatran and Rivaroxaban

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Iwona Gorczyca ◽  
Magdalena Chrapek ◽  
Olga Jelonek ◽  
Anna Michalska ◽  
Agnieszka Kapłon-Cieślicka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Electrical Cardioversion ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus ◽  
Entire Study

Left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) may be detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TOE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) despite continuous anticoagulation therapy. We examined the factors predisposing to LAAT in patients treated with the anticoagulants dabigatran and rivaroxaban. We retrospectively evaluated 1,256 AF patients from three centres who underwent TOE before electrical cardioversion (n = 611, 51.4%) or catheter ablation (n = 645, 48.6%) from January 2013 to December 2019 and had been on at least three weeks of continuous dabigatran (n = 603, 48%) or rivaroxaban (n = 653, 52%) therapy. Preprocedural TOE diagnosed LAAT in 51 patients (4.1%), including 30 patients (5%) treated with dabigatran and 21 patients (3.2%) treated with rivaroxaban (p=0.1145). In multivariate logistic regression, predictors of LAAT in patients treated with dabigatran were non-paroxysmal AF (vs. paroxysmal AF) (OR = 6.2, p=0.015), heart failure (OR = 3.22, p=0.003), and a eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (OR = 2.65, p=0.012); the predictors in patients treated with rivaroxaban were non-paroxysmal AF (vs. paroxysmal AF) (OR = 5.73, p=0.0221) and heart failure (OR = 3.19, p=0.116). In ROC analysis of the dabigatran group, the area under the curve (AUC) for the CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF score was significantly higher (0.78) than those for the CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and R2CHADS2 scores (0.67, 0.70, and 0.72, respectively). In the rivaroxaban group, the CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF score also performed significantly better (AUC of 0.77) than the CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and R2CHADS2 scores (AUC of 0.66, 0.64, and 0.67, respectively). The risk of LAAT was the same for patients in both treatment groups. In all patients, non-paroxysmal AF or heart failure, and in patients treated with dabigatran an eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, were independent predictors of LAAT. The new CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF scale had the highest predictive value for LAAT in the entire study population.

scholarly journals Risk of left atrial appendage thrombus in older patients with atrial fibrillation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Gawalko ◽  
Monika Budnik ◽  
Beata Uziębło-Życzkowska ◽  
Iwona Gorczyca ◽  
Paweł Krzesiński ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Left Atrial Appendage ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Atrial Appendage ◽  
Significant Difference

IntroductionWe aimed to compare the prevalence of left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus and its predictors between old and young patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).Material and methodsThe study included 1970 patients aged ≥ 65 (n = 822 [41.7%]) and < 65 (n = 1148 [58.3%]) referred for AF cardioversion or ablation preceded by transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE).ResultsOral anticoagulation (OAC) was prescribed in 799 (97.2%) patients aged ≥ 65 years and in 1054 (91.8%) of those aged < 65 years (p < 0.001). In patients treated with OAC, those aged ≥ 65 years less often received vitamin K antagonist (VKA) (267 [33.4%] vs. 416 [39.5%]) and more often non-VKA-OAC (NOAC) (532 [66.6%] vs. 638 [60.5%], p = 0.008, p = 0.008) compared to patients < 65 years. On TEE, LAA thrombus was more often observed in patients aged ≥ 65 years than those aged < 65 years (63 [7.7%] vs. 46 [4.0%], p < 0.001), with an absolute but not statistically significant difference between patients aged 65–74 and ≥ 75 years (47 [7.3%] vs. 16 [8.8%], p = 0.528). In patients aged ≥ 65 years, there was no difference in the prevalence of LAA thrombus between patients treated with VKA and NOAC, in contrast to patients aged < 65 years, in whom such a difference was observed (27 [6.5%] vs. 16 [2.5%], p = 0.002). In multivariate logistic regression, predictors of LAA thrombus in both age groups were older age, non-paroxysmal AF, and heart failure, whereas only in patients aged < 65 years – VKA use, and in those aged ≥ 65 years – lower glomerular filtration rate and platelet count.ConclusionsDespite OAC use, older patients with AF remain at high risk of LAA thrombus formation. Older age, non-paroxysmal AF, and heart failure are predictors of LAA thrombus, irrespective of age.

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