Data on the optimal antithrombotic therapy (AT) after percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion are still scarce. The classical AT strategy after LAA occlusion includes 6-weeks of warfarin + aspirin followed by dual anti platelet therapy with clopidogrel (75 mg) and aspirin (81-325 mg) until 6 months of follow-up, then aspirin alone is continued indefinitely. Nonetheless, a significant number of patients continues to suffer from device-related thrombosis which carries a high risk of thromboembolic events. Other AT strategies have been tested in order to reduce the risk of thrombus-formation on device. Among them, replacement of clopidogrel with half-dose oral anticoagulation (OAC) in patients with genetic resistance to this drug has been recently reported to reduce the incidence of DRT. Additionally, reduced dose of novel OAC was demonstrated to lead to lower thrombin generation compared to DAPT.
Comparison among three different antithrombotic strategies after percutaneous LAA occlusion with a Watchman FLX LAAC device.