Stroke Mechanism and Severity After Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion

Are ischemic stroke events after surgical occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAAO) during cardiac surgery for patients with known history of atrial fibrillation (AF) of milder severity and less likely to be cardioembolic compared with ischemic stroke events occurring in individuals with AF and without LAAO?This post hoc exploratory analysis of the Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study III (LAAOS III) trial, which randomized 4811 participants with a history of atrial fibrillation undergoing cardiac surgery to receive surgical LAAO or no LAAO, found that LAAO reduced the mortality and disability from ischemic stroke and the proportion of cardioembolic strokes.Study findings complement the reduction in stroke occurrence observed in the primary analysis of the LAAOS III trial and further highlight the benefit of LAAO in stroke prevention among patients with AF undergoing cardiac surgery.

Corresponding Author: Aristeidis H. Katsanos, MD, PhD, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University aristeidis.katsanos@phri.ca).

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