Fariba Rafiee: What Happens When You Isolate the Left Atrial Appendage in Patients with Persistent AFib?
Fariba Rafiee, Specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Prof. Mathey, Prof. Schofer Medical Care Center, LLC, shared on LinkedIn:
”What happens when you isolate the left atrial appendage in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation?
At the 92nd Annual Meeting of the German Cardiac Society in Munich, I had the opportunity to present our pilot study exploring cryoballoon-based left atrial appendage isolation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation.
While the procedure proved to be technically feasible with high success rates, one finding stood out: a notable incidence of left atrial appendage thrombus formation despite adequate anticoagulation – particularly in patients with durable isolation.
These results highlight the delicate balance between improving rhythm control and increasing thromboembolic risk, and raise important questions about the role of structured follow-up and early left atrial appendage closure.
I am especially grateful to Christian-H. Heeger, first author of this study, for his continuous support, guidance, and mentorship throughout this project.
Thankful as well for the valuable discussions and feedback during the session.”
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