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Background: Surgical exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) can be performed at the time of cardiac operation as a potential modality to decrease cardioembolic risk attributable to atrial fibrillation (AF), but it remains unclear if this decreases stroke incidence. Furthermore, it is not known whether LAA exclusion impacts the decision to discontinue anticoagulation impacting subsequent stroke risk., Hypothesis: LAA exclusion does not significantly alter subsequent anticoagulation use or stroke incidence., Methods: We studied 124 patients from Olmsted County with prior history of AF who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution between 1993 and 2015. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of LAA exclusion and matched (1:1) according to 16 pretreatment variables using propensity scores obtained from a logistic regression model. Outcome data collected through chart review for survival, stroke, and the presence and duration of anticoagulation were compared between groups., Results: The proportion of patients receiving anticoagulation at discharge and at 5 years was not significantly different between patients who underwent LAA exclusion and those who did not; 90% vs 81%, P = 0.156, 48% vs 49%, P = 0.722, respectively. On Kaplan-Meier analysis there were no significant differences in time free from stroke between cases and controls. Patients discharged on oral anticoagulation (OAC) had significantly lower risk of stroke (HR = 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06-0.59, P = 0.004), independent of whether LAA closure was used., Conclusion: LAA exclusion did not appear to reduce early or late stroke. Only OAC was associated with a reduction in stroke risk, underscoring the need for continued anticoagulation in high-risk patients., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Importance: Surgical occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAAO) may be performed during concurrent cardiac surgery. However, few data exist on the association of LAAO with long-term risk of stroke, and some evidence suggests that this procedure may be associated with subsequent development of atrial fibrillation (AF)., Objective: To evaluate the association of surgical LAAO performed during cardiac surgery with risk of stroke, mortality, and development of subsequent AF., Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective cohort study using a large US administrative database that contains data from adult patients (≥18 years) with private insurance or Medicare Advantage who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or valve surgery between January 1, 2009, and March 30, 2017, with final follow-up on March 31, 2017. One-to-one propensity score matching was used to balance patients on 76 dimensions to compare those with vs without LAAO, stratified by history of prior AF at the time of surgery., Exposures: Surgical LAAO vs no surgical LAAO during cardiac surgery., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were stroke (ie, ischemic stroke or systemic embolism) and all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were postoperative AF (AF within 30 days after surgery among patients without prior AF) and long-term AF-related health utilization (event rates of outpatient visits and hospitalizations)., Results: Among 75 782 patients who underwent cardiac surgery (mean age, 66.0 [SD, 11.2] years; 2 2091 [29.2%] women, 25 721 [33.9%] with preexisting AF), 4374 (5.8%) underwent concurrent LAAO, and mean follow-up was 2.1 (SD, 1.9) years. In the 8590 propensity score-matched patients, LAAO was associated with a reduced risk of stroke (1.14 vs 1.59 events per 100 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.56-0.96]; P = .03) and mortality (3.01 vs 4.30 events per 100 person-years; HR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.60-0.84]; P < .001). LAAO was associated with higher rates of AF-related outpatient visits (11.96 vs 10.26 events per person-year; absolute difference, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.60-1.80] events per person-year; rate ratio, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.10-1.24]; P < .001) and hospitalizations (0.36 vs 0.32 event per person-year; absolute difference, 0.04 [95% CI, 0.02-0.06] event per person-year; rate ratio, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.05-1.21]; P = .002). In patients with prior AF (6438/8590 [74.9%]) with vs without LAAO, risk of stroke was 1.11 vs 1.71 events per 100 person-years (HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.50-0.92]; P = .01) and risk of mortality was 3.22 vs 4.93 events per 100 person-years (HR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.56-0.80]; P < .001), respectively. In patients without prior AF (2152/8590 [25.1%]) with vs without LAAO, risk of stroke was 1.23 vs 1.26 events per 100 person-years (HR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.54-1.68]), risk of mortality was 2.30 vs 2.49 events per 100 person-years (HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.61-1.37]), and risk of postoperative AF was 27.7% vs 20.2% events per 100 person-years (HR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.22-1.73]; P < .001). The interaction term between prior AF and LAAO was not significant (P = .29 for stroke and P = .16 for mortality)., Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, concurrent surgical LAAO, compared with no surgical LAAO, was associated with reduced risk of subsequent stroke and all-cause mortality. Further research, including from randomized clinical trials, is needed to more definitively determine the role of surgical LAAO.

Background: Prophylactic exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is often performed during cardiac surgery ostensibly to reduce the risk of stroke. However, the clinical impact of LAA closure in humans remains inconclusive., Methods: Of 10 633 adults who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and valve surgery between January 2000 and December 2005, 9792 patients with complete baseline characteristics, surgery procedure, and follow-up data were included in this analysis. A propensity score-matching analysis based on 28 pretreatment covariates was performed and 461 matching pairs were derived and analyzed to estimate the association of LAA closure with early postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) (atrial fibrillation ≤30 days of surgery), ischemic stroke, and mortality., Results: In the propensity-matched cohort, the overall incidence of POAF was 53.9%. In this group, the rate of early POAF among the patients who underwent LAA closure was 68.6% versus 31.9% for those who did not undergo the procedure (P<0.001). LAA closure was independently associated with an increased risk of early POAF (adjusted odds ratio, 3.88; 95% confidence interval, 2.89-5.20), but did not significantly influence the risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.58) or mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.13)., Conclusions: After adjustment for treatment allocation bias, LAA closure during routine cardiac surgery was significantly associated with an increased risk of early POAF, but it did not influence the risk of stroke or mortality. It remains uncertain whether prophylactic exclusion of the LAA is warranted for stroke prevention during non-atrial fibrillation-related cardiac surgery., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication after cardiac surgery. Data are lacking on the long-term prognostic implications of POAF. We hypothesized that POAF, which reflects underlying cardiovascular pathophysiologic substrate, is a predictive marker of late AF and long-term mortality., Methods: We identified 603 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents without prior documented history of AF who underwent coronary artery bypass graft and/or valve surgery from 2000 to 2005. Patients were monitored for first documentation of late AF or death at >30 days postoperatively. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the independent association of POAF with late AF and long-term mortality., Results: After a mean follow-up of 8.3 ± 4.2 years, freedom from late AF was less with POAF than no POAF (57.4% vs 88.9%, P < .001). The risk of late AF was highest within the first year at 18%. Univariate analysis demonstrated that POAF was associated with significantly increased risk of late AF [hazard ratio (HR), 5.09; 95% CI, 3.65-7.22] and long-term mortality (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.38-2.22). After adjustment for age, sex, and clinical and surgical risk factors, POAF remained independently associated with development of late AF (HR, 3.52; 95% CI, 2.42-5.13) but not long-term mortality (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.87-1.55). Conversely, late AF was independently predictive of long-term mortality (HR, 3.25; 95% CI, 2.42-4.35). Diastolic dysfunction independently influenced the risk of late AF and long-term mortality., Conclusions: Postoperative atrial fibrillation was an independent predictive marker of late AF, whereas late AF, but not POAF, was independently associated with long-term mortality. Patients who develop new-onset POAF should be considered for continuous anticoagulation at least during the first year following cardiac surgery., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Our goal was to investigate whether left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction was an important pathophysiological mechanism underlying the initiation of new-onset post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF)., Background: Atrial fibrillation is a common complication after cardiac surgery. However, the precise mechanism underlying its development remains poorly understood. Pre-existing alterations of myocardial diastolic function may predispose patients to the development of POAF., Methods: Patients were residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who underwent complete LV diastolic function assessment before coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve surgery between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005. All were in sinus rhythm and had no history of atrial fibrillation, a pacemaker, mitral stenosis, or congenital heart disease. POAF was defined as any episode of atrial fibrillation within 30 days after surgery., Results: POAF occurred in 135 of 351 patients (38.5%). Patients with POAF were older (mean age 72.5 ± 10.3 years vs. 63.1 ± 14.1 years; p < 0.001) and more likely to have abnormal diastolic function. The rate of POAF increased exponentially with diastolic function grade (DFG) severity (p < 0.001). By multivariate analysis, after adjusting for clinical and surgical risk factors, independent predictors of POAF were older age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.05; p < 0.001), higher body mass index (OR: 1.06; p = 0.03), and abnormal LV DFG (DFG 1, OR: 5.12 [p = 0.006]; DFG 2, OR: 9.87 [p < 0.001]; and DFG 3, OR: 28.52 [p < 0.001])., Conclusions: LV diastolic dysfunction is a powerful, independent predisposing substrate for the initiation of POAF. Evaluation may be useful during risk stratification of patients undergoing cardiac surgery., (Copyright © 2011 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)