Short- and long-term outcomes of percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion in cancer patients

Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a viable option to mitigate bleeding and stroke risks in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are not eligible for oral anticoagulation. Its safety and efficacy in cancer patients remain unclear due to their exclusion from trials. This study aimed to compare short- and long-term LAAO outcomes between cancer and non-cancer patients.

Retrospective single centre study of 361 consecutive patients who underwent LAAO between april-2010 and december-2023 were included. Short-term outcomes included periprocedural complications, 30-day hospital readmission and mortality. Long-term outcomes included the composite of stroke, bleeding, and mortality and each component assessed separately.

The study included 93 cancer patients (54 % active, 46 % in remission) and 268 non-cancer patients. Baseline characteristics were similar, including ischemic and bleeding risk profiles (CHA₂DS₂-VASc: 4.5 ± 1.4 vs. 4.4 ± 1.5; HAS-BLED: 3.3 ± 0.9 vs. 3.2 ± 0.9), previous stroke and total bleeding events. Short-term outcomes showed no significant differences in periprocedural complications (7 % vs. 6 %), 30-day readmission (2 % vs. 3 %), or 30-day mortality (0 % vs. 1.5 %). Over 32 months, there was no significant difference regarding the composite endpoint (p = 0.067), stroke (SHR 0.54; p = 0.25) or bleeding events (SHR 1.36; p = 0.35). LAAO was effective in terms of stroke reduction in cancer and non-cancer patients (p = 0.027 and p = 0.006, respectively). All-cause mortality rates were higher in cancer patients (p = 0.002), mainly due to cancer progression and infections.

LAAO procedure was safe and effective in both populations. Cancer patients experienced higher rates of all-cause mortality, with no differences in stroke and bleeding outcomes between groups.