Comparison of three left atrial appendage occlusion devices for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: a single-centre seven-year experience with WATCHMAN, AMPLATZER Cardiac Plug/Amulet, LAmbre

Abstract

Aims: We aimed to compare long-term "real-world"outcomes of three left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) devices for stroke prevention in a Chinese population with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods and results: Consecutive patients who underwent LAAO from June 2009 to October 2016 at a university-affiliated hospital were retrospectively analysed. In-hospital and major adverse events (MAE) including mortality, stroke and major bleeding rates were compared by LAAO device. One hundred and sixty-one (161) patients (mean age 71.4±8.2 years; 67.7% male) with mean CHA2DS2-VASc score of 4.1±1.6 and HAS-BLED score of 2.9±1.1 underwent 162 LAAO procedures, of which 47.5% (n=77), 41.4% (n=67) and 11.1% (n=18) were AMPLATZER Cardiac Plug (ACP)/Amulet, WATCHMAN and LAmbre, respectively. The procedural success rate was 97.5% (158/162). The in-hospital adverse event rate was 7.4% (12/162) and comparable among devices (p=NS). Mean follow-up duration was 28.3±24.4 months (373 patient-years). There were no significant differences in long-term MAE rates among devices (p=NS). Observed annual ischaemic stroke (1.1% vs. 5.1%, p<0.001) and major bleeding rates (2.7% vs. 4.5%, p=NS) were lower compared with the predicted rates, respectively. Conclusions: The WATCHMAN, ACP/Amulet and LAmbre LAAO devices demonstrated similar longterm safety and efficacy in prevention of ischaemic stroke and major bleeding in patients with NVAF.