Outcome and safety of intracardiac echocardiography guided left atrial
appendage closure within zero-fluoroscopy atrial fibrillation ablation
procedures
Abstract
Background: Simultaneous atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation and
left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is sometimes recommended for both
rhythm control and stroke prevention. However, the advantages of
intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) guidance for this combined procedure
have been scarcely reported. To evaluate the clinical outcomes and
safety of ICE guided LAAC within a zero-fluoroscopy catheter ablation
procedure. Methods and Results:From April 2019 to April 2020, 56
patients with symptomatic AF underwent concomitant catheter ablation and
LAAC. ICE with a multi-angled imaging protocol mimicking the TEE echo
windows was used to guide LAAC. Successful radiofrequency catheter
ablation and LAAC was achieved in all patients. Procedure-related
adverse event rate was 3.6%. During the 12-month follow-up, 77.8% of
patients became free of arrhythmia recurrences and oral anticoagulants
were discontinued in 96.4% of patients. No ischemic stroke occurred
despite two cases of device-related thrombosis versus an expected stroke
rate of 4.8% based on the CHA2DS2-VASc score. The overall major
bleeding events rate was 1.8%, which represented a relative reduction
of 68% versus an expected bleeding rate of 5.7% based on the HAS-BLED
score of the patient cohort. The incidence of iatrogenic atrial septal
defect secondary to a single transseptal access dropped from 57.9% at 2
months to 4.2% at 12 months TEE follow-up. Conclusion:The combination
of catheter ablation and LAAC under ICE guidance was safe and effective
in AF patients with high stroke risk. ICE with our novel protocol was
technically feasible for comprehensive and systematic assessment of
device implantation.