Arrhythmias & electrophysiology
Safety and Feasibility of 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography in Guiding Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion With WATCHMAN FLX
Authors' conclusion
The novel 3-dimensional ICE VeriSight Pro Probe can safely and effectively guide LAAO with Watchman FLX using a simplified imaging protocol.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) with the Watchman FLX device, guided by a novel 3-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter (VeriSight Pro, Philips) under moderate sedationpatients undergoing LAAO with the Watchman FLX device
- Participants
- 100 patients
- Outcome
- Feasibility endpoint: successful implantation of the FLX device and adequate seal (peri-device leak <5 mm)
- Follow-up
- 45 days
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
ICE-guided LAAO with Watchman FLX
95%
95 of 100
- Not implanted due to unsuitable anatomy
- 4 patients
- Leak >5 mm at 45 days
- 1 patient
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Baseline characteristics
- Mean age
- 77.0 ± 8.1 years
- Women
- 39 (39%)
- CHA2DS2-VASc score
- 4.8 ± 1.5
- HAS-BLED score
- 3.2 ± 1.1
Procedural characteristics
- Total procedural time
- 54 ± 25 minutes
- Mean contrast volume
- 41 ± 46 ml
- No contrast used
- 16 patients
Physicians' rating of overall ICE imaging quality (1 = lowest, 5 = highest)
- Overall ICE imaging quality
- 4.6 ± 0.6
Safety
Major complications · 7 days
- Periprocedural stroke
- 1
- Gastrointestinal bleeds requiring transfusion
- 2
- No other major complications
Original publication
Safety and Feasibility of 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography in Guiding Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion With WATCHMAN FLX. JACC Adv. Published 13 January 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it