Vascular Health and Risk Management (Mar 2017)

Novel stroke risk reduction in atrial fibrillation: left atrial appendage occlusion with a focus on the Watchman closure device

  • Alipour A,
  • Wintgens LIS,
  • Swaans MJ,
  • Balt JC,
  • Rensing BJWM,
  • Boersma LVA

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 81 – 90

Abstract

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Arash Alipour, Lisette I S Wintgens, Martin J Swaans, Jippe C Balt, Benno J W M Rensing, Lucas V A Boersma Department of Cardiology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains an important clinical problem with severe complications such as stroke, which especially harms those with risk factors as calculated by the CHADS2 or CHA2DS2-VASc. Until now, no therapy has proven 100% effective against AF. Since the left atrial appendage (LAA) is the most prominent nonvalvular AF-related thromboembolic source and (novel) oral anticoagulant [(N)OAC] carries the hazard of bleeding, LAA occlusion may be an alternative, especially in patients who are ineligible for (N)OAC therapy. In this review, we discuss several LAA occlusion techniques with a focus on the Watchman device since this device is the most thoroughly studied device of all. Keywords: left atrial appendage, atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke 

Keywords