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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Left atrial appendage clip occlusion: early clinical results
Sacha P Salzberg1, Andre Plass, Maximillian Y Emmert
1Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. sacha.salzberg@gmail.com
Insights
A new clip device effectively occludes the left atrial appendage in patients with atrial fibrillation, preventing stroke. This safe and durable method shows promise for long-term embolic stroke prevention.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Devices
- Stroke Prevention
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation increases embolic stroke risk from the left atrial appendage.
- Limited safe and effective methods exist for left atrial appendage occlusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a new clip device for epicardial left atrial appendage occlusion.
- Assess the safety and effectiveness of this novel occlusion method.
Main Methods:
- Concomitant epicardial clip placement in 34 atrial fibrillation patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
- Postoperative computed tomography (CT) and transesophageal echocardiography for assessment.
Main Results:
- Successful clip placement in all patients with no device-related complications.
- Stable clip location and appendage perfusion confirmed by 3-month CT.
- No strokes or transient ischemic attacks observed post-procedure.
Conclusions:
- The new clip provides safe, effective, and durable left atrial appendage occlusion.
- This method offers a promising approach for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients.
- Further trials are warranted to establish its role in stroke prevention.
Objective:
Atrial fibrillation puts patients at significant risk for embolic stroke originating from the left atrial appendage. Few means are available for safe, effective, and durable left atrial appendage occlusion. A new clip device was evaluated with regard to safety and effectiveness for epicardial left atrial appendage occlusion.
Methods:
Patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing elective cardiac surgery through a median sternotomy were enrolled for concomitant epicardial clip placement. Early postoperative and 3-month follow-up computed tomography studies were used to assess clip stability and left atrial appendage perfusion.
Results:
From September 2007 to December 2008, 34 patients underwent successful clip placement. No device-related complications occurred. Operative mortality was 8.8% and not study or device related. Deployment was rapid, and left atrial appendage occlusion was confirmed by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in all patients. In addition to excellent clinical outcomes (no stroke/transient ischemic attack), serial computed tomography demonstrated stable clip location and appendage perfusion at 3 months in all patients.
Conclusion:
Safe, effective, and durable left atrial appendage occlusion can easily be achieved with this new clip. Further trials are necessary to evaluate the role of the left atrial appendage occlusion in stroke prevention.
