Association of heart failure with procedural complications and in-hospital outcomes from left atrial appendage occlusion device implantation in patients with atrial fibrillation: insights from the national inpatient sample of 62 980 procedures

Left atrial appendage occlusion in patients with cancer

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and malignancy share a complex relationship, significantly complicating patient management. Patients with cancer, particularly those with lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and hematologic malignancies, are at increased risk of AF due to cancer-related hypercoagulability, proinflammatory cytokines, and treatment-related factors. This population faces unique thrombotic and bleeding risks, challenging standard management approaches. Anticoagulation is often complicated by drug-drug interactions with cancer therapies and heightened bleeding risks, including thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy. Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) offers an alternative stroke prevention strategy for patients unable to tolerate long-term anticoagulation. By isolating the left atrial appendage, LAAO reduces thromboembolic risk while minimizing bleeding complications. Indications include patients with elevated stroke risk with contraindications to anticoagulation due to nonreversible causes, such as recurrent bleeding or significant drug interactions. Surgical LAAO may also be considered during cardiac surgery in patients with AF and high thromboembolic risk, with previous studies showing reduced risk of thromboembolic complications. Outcomes of LAAO in cancer patients are generally favorable, with studies showing comparable stroke rates, bleeding risks, and mortality to non-cancer populations. However, malignancy-specific complications, such as device-related thrombus, require further investigation. LAAO provides a promising option for stroke prevention in this complex population, but further research is needed to refine patient selection and optimize outcomes.

Outcomes of leadless pacemaker implantation in the United States based on sex

BACKGROUND

To determine differences in baseline characteristics and outcomes of leadless pacemaker implantation based on sex.

METHODS

For the purpose of this study, data were extracted from the National Inpatient Sample database for years 2016-2020. The study group was then stratified based on sex. Baseline characteristics and in-hospital outcomes including complications were then analyzed in each group. Multivariable logistic regression models were created to analyze the association of sex with important outcomes of mortality, major complications (defined as pericardial effusion requiring intervention and any vascular complication), prolonged length of stay (defined as > 6 days), and increased cost of hospitalization (defined as median cost > 34,098$) after leadless pacemaker implantation.

RESULTS

A total of 29,000 leadless pacemakers (n in women = 12,960, 44.7%) were implanted during our study period. Women were found to have an increased burden of co-morbidities as compared to men. In the adjusted analysis, the likelihood of mortality (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.14-1.43), major complications (aOR 1.07, 95% CI 0.98-1.18), prolonged length of stay (aOR 1.09, 95% CI 1.04-1.15), and increased hospitalization cost (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.08-1.20) were higher in women as compared to men after leadless pacemaker implantation.

CONCLUSION

Important and significant differences exist in leadless pacemaker implantation in women as compared to men. These findings highlight the need for evaluating etiologies behind such differences with a goal of improving outcomes in all patients after leadless pacemaker implantation.

Safety and feasibility of atrial fibrillation ablation after left atrial appendage closure: A single-center experience of the left atrial appendage closure first strategy

BACKGROUND

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are not suitable for long-term anticoagulant therapy undergo percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC). The safety and feasibility of left atrial catheter ablation (CA) procedures after LAAC remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify the feasibility and safety of CA after LAAC, including in the early phase within 180 days.

METHODS

Characteristics and clinical outcomes of 46 patients with AF who had undergone both CA and LAAC within 2 years (mean age, 72 years; 29 men) were compared between those who had undergone CA-first (31 patients) and LAAC-first (15 patients).

RESULTS

The mean CHA₂DS₂-VASc and HAS-BLED scores were 4.8 and 3.3 points, respectively. The LAAC-first strategy was often used in patients with prior major bleeding and LAA thrombosis or sludge. In the LAAC-first group, the mean duration between both procedures was 212 days, and all LAAC-first patients, including seven patients in the early phase, could undergo CA without LAAC device-related complications; moreover, no cardiovascular adverse events were reported after both procedures (mean periods: 420 days). After CA post-LAAC, no device-related adverse events (device-related thrombosis, new peri-device leak appearance, peri-device leak increase, or device dislodgement) were observed, whereas, after LAAC post-CA, 3 new peri-device leak appearance events and 1 peri-device leak increase event were observed, especially patients who underwent LAAC in the early phase post-CA.

CONCLUSION

Based on single-center experience, left atrial CA in the presence of an LAAC device implanted including the early phase was safe and feasible.

In-hospital safety outcomes of left atrial appendage occlusion in octogenarians and nonagenarians

AIMS

Data on safety outcomes of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) in elderly patients are limited. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of LAAO between octogenarians (age 80-89) and nonagenarians (age ≥90) vs. younger patients (age ≤79).

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample database to identify patients hospitalized for LAAO from 2016 to 2020 and to compare in-hospital safety outcomes in octogenarians and nonagenarians vs. younger patients. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital all-cause mortality or stroke. Secondary outcomes included procedural complications, length of stay (LOS), and total costs. Outcomes were determined using logistic regression models. Among 84 140 patients hospitalized for LAAO, 32.9% were octogenarians, 2.8% were nonagenarians, and 64.3% were ≤79 years of age. Over the study period, the volume of LAAO increased in all age groups (all Ptrend < 0.01). After adjustment for clinical and demographic factors, octogenarians and nonagenarians had similar odds of in-hospital all-cause mortality or stroke [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93-2.13 for octogenarians; aOR 1.69, 95% CI 0.67-3.92 for nonagenarians], cardiac tamponade, acute kidney injury, major bleeding, and blood transfusion, in addition to similar LOS and total costs compared with younger patients (all P > 0.05). However, octogenarians and nonagenarians had higher odds of vascular complications compared with younger patients (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.08-1.99 for octogenarians; aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.18-2.97 for nonagenarians).

CONCLUSION

Octogenarians and nonagenarians undergoing LAAO have a similar safety profile compared with clinically similar younger patients except for higher odds of vascular complications.

Prevalence of respiratory failure and use of mechanical ventilation in heart failure patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion device implantation

BACKGROUND

We sought to evaluate respiratory complications in heart failure patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

METHODS

Adult admissions (>18 years) undergoing LAAO during 2016-2020 were identified from the National Inpatient Sample. Heart failure (HF) was stratified into systolic (SHF) and diastolic heart failure (DHF) and were compared to those without HF. Outcomes of interested included acute respiratory failure, use of non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

Of 74,440 admissions for atrial fibrillation undergoing LAAO, SHF and DHF were noted in 8335 (11.2%) and 10,925 (14.7%), respectively. The SHF cohort was predominantly male (78%) whereas DHF cohort were female (53%). Compared to those without HF, presence of SHF (2.3% vs. 0.6%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.61 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.10-2.36]; p = 0.01) and DHF (2.8% vs. 0.6%; adjusted OR 2.20 [95% CI 1.58-3.06]; p < 0.001) were associated with higher rates of acute respiratory failure. SHF (1.7% vs. 0.6%; adjusted OR 1.70 [95% CI 1.07-2.71]; p = 0.02) group but not DHF (1.2% vs. 0.6%; adjusted OR 1.21 [95% CI 0.78-1.89]; p = 0.39) was associated with higher rates of non-invasive ventilation, whereas the DHF group (0.9% vs. 0.2%; adjusted OR 1.91 [95% CI 1.08-3.34]; p = 0.02) but not SHF (0.8% vs. 0.2%; adjusted OR 1.54 [95% CI 0.83-2.84]; p = 0.17) was associated with higher rates of invasive mechanical ventilation use. In-hospital mortality was comparable between cohorts.

CONCLUSION

Compared to those without HF, atrial fibrillation admissions with HF undergoing LAAO had higher rates of acute respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation rates without differences in in-hospital mortality.

Prognostic value of chronic kidney disease in patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion

AIMS

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) often coexist and share an increased risk of thrombo-embolism (TE). CKD concomitantly predisposes towards a pro-haemorrhagic state. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of CKD in patients undergoing percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 2124 consecutive AF patients undergoing LAAO were categorized into CKD stage 1+2 (n = 1089), CKD stage 3 (n = 796), CKD stage 4 (n = 170), and CKD stage 5 (n = 69) based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate at baseline. The primary endpoint included cardiovascular (CV) mortality, TE, and major bleeding. The expected annual TE and major bleeding risks were estimated based on the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores. A non-significant higher incidence of major peri-procedural adverse events (1.7 vs. 2.3 vs. 4.1 vs. 4.3) was observed with worsening CKD (P = 0.14). The mean follow-up period was 13 ± 7 months (2226 patient-years). In comparison to CKD stage 1+2 as a reference, the incidence of the primary endpoint was significantly higher in CKD stage 3 (log-rank P-value = 0.04), CKD stage 4 (log-rank P-value = 0.01), and CKD stage 5 (log-rank P-value = 0.001). Left atrial appendage occlusion led to a TE risk reduction (RR) of 72, 66, 62, and 41% in each group. The relative RR of major bleeding was 58, 44, 51, and 52%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Patients with moderate-to-severe CKD had a higher incidence of the primary composite endpoint. The relative RR in the incidence of TE and major bleeding was consistent across CKD groups.

A review of the impact, pathophysiology, and management of atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) have increased mortality and increased risk of stroke. Due to the heterogeneous nature of both disease processes, it is difficult to ascertain whether the diagnosis and progression of AF is the cause of deterioration or if it is a symptom of worsening heart failure. This presents physicians with a clinical conundrum of whether optimizing their heart failure will decrease the overall AF burden or if restoration of sinus rhythm is necessary to optimize patients with HFpEF. In this paper, we will review the impact of AF in patients with HFpEF, the pathophysiology and heterogeneity of HFpEF and AF, and the management of these patients. As HFpEF and AF become more prevalent, managing these disease processes needs standardization to improve outcomes. Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between AF and HFpEF to help determine the best management strategy.

Surgical and transcatheter left atrial appendage closure in patients with atrial fibrillation and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND

Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased stroke risk in comparison to those with non-valvular AF not affected by HCM.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the role of left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) in patients with HCM and AF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We identified patients with HCM and AF using the National Readmission Dataset. Patients were stratified based on LAAC status. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, TIA, and all-cause mortality. The primary safety outcome was a composite of major bleeding and pericardial complications. Patients were matched using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Cox-proportional hazard regression was applied to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) on matched cohorts. We identified 71 980 patients with HCM and AF. 1351 (1.9%) patients underwent LAAC. Two hundred and eighty-seven (21.2%) underwent transcatheter LAAC. LAAC was associated with a lower risk of the primary efficacy outcome (2.5% vs. 5.4%, HR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.88; P = 0.024), the primary safety outcome (2.9% vs. 6.8%, HR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.23-0.66, P = 0.001), and reduced major bleeding. The LAAC group trended towards a lower risk of ischaemic stroke and all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSION

Surgical and transcatheter LAAC was associated with a lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke and major bleeding.