Here today, gone tomorrow: The laa and stroke

Stroke prevention in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation continues to attract great clinical interest,[1,2] the result of several known issues including: 1) the high morbidity and mortality associated with stroke which is the number one cause of death and disability, 2) the frequency of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and its association with an increased incidence of stroke – greater than 20% of strokes particularly in elderly patients are related to the NVAF, 3) the findings that approximately 90% of strokes in this setting are related to thrombus in the left atrial appendage (LAA),[3] 4) anticoagulation with either Vit K A or DOAC's are effective in significantly r educing stroke rates in this setting but are associated with a cumulative risk of bleeding,[4] 5) estimates are that 40–50% of patients at increased risk of stroke from NVAF are either not treated with OAC related to absolute or relative contraindications or because the level of OAC is not adequat e related to non-compliance placing them at increased risk of stroke.
Source: Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research