Incidence and Outcomes of Pericardial Effusion/Tamponade Following Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure

Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) with Watchman (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA) has emerged as an alternative to anticoagulation for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). A US nationwide registry reported that even though the rate of major in-hospital complication of LAAC was low at 2.18%, pericardial effusion or pericardial tamponade (PE/PT) is a relatively common complication.1 In addition, case reports demonstrated the occurrence of delayed PE/PT after discharge.

Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - November 3, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Toshiaki Isogai, Anas M. Saad, Shashank Shekhar, Shunsuke Kuroda, Abdelrahman I. Abushouk, Mohamed M. Gad, Oussama M. Wazni, Amar Krishnaswamy, Samir R. Kapadia Source Type: research