Minimalist approach to left atrial appendage occlusion through three-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography: Procedural steps and single-center experience
Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent arrhythmia worldwide, is associated with an annual risk of ischemic stroke of up to 5%, with approximately 98% of thrombi originating from the left atrial appendage (LAA). Direct oral anticoagulants or vitamin K antagonists remain the gold standard for preventing systemic thromboembolism in patients with AF. LAA occlusion (LAAO) is an alternative stroke prevention technique for patients with AF who cannot tolerate long-term anticoagulation. Percutaneous LAAO typically employs a multimodal imaging approach with contrast fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for visualization, device selection and deployment, and complication monitoring. TEE is also used for follow-up imaging. However, it necessitates general anesthesia or deep sedation and is associated with a high risk of adverse events. Three-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography (3D ICE) has been proposed as a viable alternative to TEE for LAAO procedures. In this review, we summarized the current evidence regarding ICE guidance in LAAO procedures. We also presented a case series of consecutive patients presenting at our center who underwent LAAO, which was performed by a single operator using a minimalist approach of moderate sedation, 3D ICE, and same-day discharge. We also presented a summary of the minimalist approach to LAAO using 3D ICE and detailed procedural steps of 3D ICE catheter manipulation for successful LAAO intervention.
- Zhang L, Xie Y, Ren Z, Xie M. Transesophageal echocardiography related complications. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2024;11:1410594. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1410594
- Patel KM, Desai RG, Trivedi K, Neuburger PJ, Krishnan S, Potestio CP. Complications of transesophageal echocardiography: A review of injuries, risk factors, and management. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2022; 36(8):3292-3302. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2022.02.015
- Diaz JC, Duque M, Marin J, et al. Intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage occlusion. Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 2024;13:e03. doi: 10.15420/aer.2023.29
- Ramesh T, Budhiraja M, Mehta V, Rajsheker S, Arif I, Sukhija R. Tct-698 intracardiac echocardiography versus transesophageal echocardiography for procedural guidance in patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion: A single-center retrospective review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023;82(17):B280-B281. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2023.09.709
- Reddy VY, Doshi SK, Kar S, et al. 5-year outcomes after left atrial appendage closure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017;70(24):2964-2975. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2017.10.021
- Jhand A, Goldsweig AM. The emerging role of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) in left atrial appendage closure (LAAC). Curr Cardiol Rep. 2023;25(10):1223-1232. doi: 10.1007/s11886-023-01940-4
- Nielsen-Kudsk J, Berti S, Caprioglio F, et al. Intracardiac echocardiography to guide watchman FLX implantation: The ICE LAA study. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2023; 16(6):643-651. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2022.10.024
- Diaz J, Bastidas O, Duque M, et al. Impact of intracardiac echocardiography versus transesophageal echocardiography guidance on left atrial appendage occlusion procedures: A meta‐analysis. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2023;35(1):44-57. doi: 10.1111/jce.16118
- Goldsweig AM, Alkhouli M. Let it go: Intracardiac echocardiography is the future of imaging for left atrial appendage occlusion. J Soc Cardiovasc Angiogr Interv. 2022;1(6):100518. doi: 10.1016/j.jscai.2022.100518
- Gianni C, Horton RP, Della Rocca DG, et al. Intracardiac echocardiography‐ versus transesophageal echocardiography‐guided left atrial appendage occlusion with watchman FLX. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2021;32(10):2781-2784. doi: 10.1111/jce.15220
- Hemam ME, Kuroki K, Schurmann PA, et al. Left atrial appendage closure with the watchman device using intracardiac vs transesophageal echocardiography: Procedural and cost considerations. Heart Rhythm. 2019b;16(3):334-342. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.12.013
- Stout K, Craig C, Rivington J, Lyden E, Payne JJ, Goldsweig AM. Clinical protocol for selecting intracardiac or transesophageal echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage occlusion. Am J Cardiol. 2024;222:87-94. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2024.04.023
- Della Rocca DG, Magnocavallo M, Gianni C, et al. Three-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography for left atrial appendage sizing and percutaneous occlusion guidance. Europace. 2023;26(1):euae010. doi: 10.1093/europace/euae010
- Ferro EG, Alkhouli M, Nair DG, et al. Intracardiac vs transesophageal echocardiography for left atrial appendage occlusion with watchman FLX in the U.S. JACC Clin Electrophysiol. 2023;9(12):2587-2599. doi: 10.1016/j.jacep.2023.08.004
- Ma Y, Guo L, Li J, et al. Iatrogenic atrial septal defect after intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage closure: Incidence, size, and clinical outcomes. J Clin Med. 2022;12(1):160. doi: 10.3390/jcm12010160
- Betts T, Grygier M, Erik Nielsen-Kudsk J, et al. B-po01-078 real-world clinical outcomes with a next-generation left atrial appendage closure device: First report from the flexibility post-approval study. Heart Rhythm. 2021;18(8):S82. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2021.06.255
- Messele L, Khan M, Darden D, et al. Outcomes of percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion device implantation in atrial fibrillation patients based on underlying stroke risk. Europace. 2023;25(4):1415-1422. doi: 10.1093/europace/euad049
- Pastormerlo LE, Tondo C, Fassini G, et al. Intra-cardiac versus transesophageal echocardiographic guidance for left atrial appendage occlusion with a watchman FLX device. J Clin Med. 2023;12(20):6658. doi: 10.3390/jcm12206658
- De Backer O, Iriart X, Kefer J, et al. Impact of computational modeling on transcatheter left atrial appendage closure efficiency and outcomes. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2023;16(6):655-666. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2023.01.008
- Tang GHL, Zaid S, Hahn RT, et al. Structural heart imaging using 3-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2024.05.012
- Zhang ZY, Li F, Zhang J, et al. A comparable efficacy and safety between intracardiac echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography for percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023;10:119771.
- Grazina A, Fiarresga A, Ramos R, et al. Intracardiac echocardiography-guided left atrial appendage occlusion: The path to independence. Rev Port Cardiol. 2023;42(10):847-855. doi: 10.1016/j.repc.2023.01.028