title: Left atrial appendage occlusion for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: The most severe consequence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardioembolic stroke. The incidence of cardioembolic stroke increases significantly in patients with AF. Although warfarin has been the mainstay of the prevention of cardioembolic stroke, there are several limitations to the use of warfarin that hinder its effectiveness. This article provides the historical development of devices that exclude the left atrial appendage, their effectiveness and potential patient selection, as an alternative to warfarin and the novel oral anticoagulation therapy for the prevention of cardioembolic stroke in patients with AF.
authors.affiliation: St Mary's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Duong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Remo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.forename: Nitish
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Badhwar
authors.forename: Randall J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020517:Atrial Appendage / Q000601:surgery*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications*; D004617:Embolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008026:Ligation; D018579:Patient Selection; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D055989:Septal Occluder Device; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants
keywords: LARIAT; atrial fibrillation; cardioembolic stroke; left atrial appendage; occlusion devices