State Of The Art In Left Atrial Appendage Ligation - The Lariat

Percutaneous left atrial appendage ligation (LAA) techniques have come to the forefront of management of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who are at high risk of stroke and are unsuitable for oral anticoagulation therapy. LARIAT is a novel percutaneous endo-epicardial ligation technique for LAA exclusion. This technique is increasingly becoming popular for LAA exclusion in AF patients. A few studies have validated the efficacy of LARIAT in mitigating stroke risk in AF patients with contraindications to anticoagulation. Additionally a few studies have suggested that AF burden decreases after the LARIAT procedure. In this review paper we discuss the indications, technique and the latest advances in the LAA exclusion using the LARIAT system.