title: Complications From Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion Devices.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and has been identified as an independent risk factor for stroke. Prevention of thromboembolic events has been based on oral anticoagulation (OAC) using Vitamin K antagonists (VKA). However, long-term OAC medication is limited by an increased bleeding risk and a low patient compliance. Relying on the observation that the majority of cardiac thrombi originate from the left atrial appendage (LAA) different devices aiming for LAA closure have been proposed. This review will discuss contemporary LAA closure devices with special emphasis on procedure related complications.
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perrotta
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bordignon
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dugo
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fürnkranz
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konstantinou
authors.affiliation: University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.affiliation: University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pieragnoli
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien - Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm Epstein Str. 4, 60431 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Kr Julian
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Chun