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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 28, 2012
Left atrial appendage function in patients with systemic embolism in spite of in sinus rhythm
Mitsunori Okamoto1, Yuichi Fujii, Yuko Makita
1Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima Prefectural Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan. okafufu@ccv.ne.jp
Objective:
We sought to investigate whether left atrial (LA) appendage (LAA) function was impaired in patients with systemic embolism in sinus rhythm.
Methods:
Transesophageal echocardiography was performed in 7 patients within 5 days after embolism (early group) and in 32 patients, more than 5 days after embolism (late group). We searched intracardiac thrombus and determined LAA area and LAA flow velocity, and the grade of spontaneous echocontrast.
Results:
LA thrombus could be detected in 2 of the 39 patients only in early group (P = .028). The patients of early group, as compared with late group, had lower LAA flow velocity (28 +/- 16 vs 60 +/- 26 cm/s, P = .007) and higher grade of spontaneous echocontrast score (1.14 +/- 1.46 vs 0.25 +/- 0.62, P = .013). LA dimension and LAA area were not statistically different.
Conclusion:
LAA function may be impaired early after embolism even in sinus rhythm.
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