Does left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion device alter the echocardiography and electrocardiogram parameters in patients with atrial fibrillation?

• Published in: International journal of cardiology Vol. 215; pp. 494 - 501
• Main Authors: Jie, Qiqiang, Wang, Dongzhi, Liu, Baoxin, Zhao, Dongdong, Li, Yong, Luo, Jiachen, Dai, Liming, Li, Shuang, Xu, Yawei, Wei, Yidong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15-07-2016
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Atrial Appendage - surgery; Atrial fibrillation; Atrial Fibrillation - diagnostic imaging; Cardiac Catheterization - methods; Cardiac Surgical Procedures - instrumentation; Cardiovascular; Echocardiography; Electrocardiogram; Electrocardiography; Female; Humans; Left atrial appendage occlusion; Male; Middle Aged; Prostheses and Implants; Treatment Outcome; Left atrial appendage occlusion; Echocardiography; Electrocardiogram; Atrial fibrillation
• ISSN: 0167-5273; 1874-1754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.03.204

Abstract Background The alterations of echocardiography and electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients received left atrial appendage LAA occlusion therapy still unclear. The present study was to evaluate the influence of LAA occlusion device on echocardiography and ECG changes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Seventy-three patients who have undergone Watchman, LAmbre and Lefort were enrolled in this study. Echocardiography and ECG results at pre- and post-operation were collected. Besides, echocardiography was also performed during follow-up visits at 1, 6 and 12 months after discharge. Results After LAA occlusion, a slight and measureable movement of QRS electric axis was observed in all most every patient. In addition, significant differences were also observed in heart rate (HR) and QT interval for all patients between pre- and post-operation. On the contrary, there existed no significant difference in echocardiographic parameters between before and after device implantation. However, a larger left atrial (LA) diameter was detected by echocardiography during follow-up visit at 6 months when compared with pre-operation parameters. Similarly, aortic root diameter (ARD) was also larger during follow-up at 12 months than the baseline dimension in pre-operation. Conclusions LAA occlusion device resulted in a slightly movement in QRS axis, increased QT interval duration and thus reduced HR. In addition, LA and ARD seemed to be larger after device implantation. The underlying mechanism of these changes needs to be elucidated in the future.