Three professional societies have published an overview of their opinions on the circumstances under which it is most appropriate to use percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion devices.
In the statement, the American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society, and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions provide their takes on the efficacy of various percutaneous LAA occlusion devices at reducing stroke risk and provide recommendations on when and how to use such devices.
For example, the overview includes criteria for those evaluating the appropriateness of using one of the devices on a particular patient and for those performing an LAA occlusion procedure. It additionally describes where to perform the procedures and what the societies consider to be the necessary protocols for care.
The statement also calls for the creation of various guidelines, asserting that professional societies have a responsibility “to set minimal performance standards for LAA procedures, develop training curriculum, and establish the metrics for evaluation,” and that “specific recommendations for training in LAA occlusion need to developed.”
Additionally, the societies recommend that data on the outcomes of using all LAA occlusion devices be collected and recorded in an existing registry or new registry similar to the transcatheter valve therapy registry.
“This document highlights the critical issues surrounding left atrial appendage occlusion therapies,” said Dr. Frederick A. Masoudi, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver and chair of the writing committee. “We aimed to facilitate the alignment among patients and their families, primary care physicians, general cardiologists, and additional heart team members and procedural specialists.”
Read the full paper at J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2015 [ doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.06.028 ].
