Using the Watchman device to close the left atrial appendage reduces risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation, compared to using warfarin

Commentary to: Reddy VY, Sievert H, Halperin J, et al.; PROTECT AF Steering Committee and Investigators. Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure vs warfarin for atrial fibrillation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2014;312:1988–98 . Context Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in clinical practice. The major complication of AF is thromboembolic stroke. Patients with AF have a fivefold higher risk of stroke and a twofold increase in mortality.1 As complete cure for AF is never certain, the aims of AF therapy are symptom relief and prevention of thromboembolic events. The latter can be managed by vitamin-K-antagonists (VKA), but is accompanied by several disadvantages including increased risk of bleeding and the need for monitoring with regular lab work. New oral anticoagulants (NOAC) regimens are simpler but are still associated with bleeding risk. These problems, added by the fact that the majority of thrombi originate from the left...
Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Clinical trials (epidemiology), Epidemiologic studies, Drugs: cardiovascular system, Stroke, Arrhythmias Therapeutics/Prevention Source Type: research