Safety and Efficacy of Left Atrial Ablation After Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in High-Bleeding-Risk Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Multicenter Analysis from the PROCEED-AF Ablation Registry.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with left atrial appendage (LAAO) devices are increasingly referred for AF ablation, yet anticoagulation strategies remain uncertain. The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with pre-existing LAAO devices and to describe patterns in anticoagulation management after ablation in this unique population.

METHODS

We collected data from 14 centers worldwide on patients with prior LAAO devices undergoing AF ablation. Each site provided clinical characteristics, procedural details, and information on complications and arrhythmia outcomes. Data were aggregated and analyzed centrally to evaluate procedural safety, efficacy, and variability in management strategies.

RESULTS

A total of 198 patients (age 70 years, 37% female, 42% paroxysmal AF) with prior LAAO were included. Ablation was performed a median of 271 days after LAAO. After ablation, 84% of patients were on oral anticoagulation (OAC), most commonly for 2-3 months. Bleeding complications on OAC occurred in 6.7% of patients at a median of 20 (13, 70) days after ablation. Stroke or TIA occurred in 5 patients (2.6% of cases) within the follow-up period with 2 occurrences (1% of cases) the day after ablation. There were 2 cases of new or worsened peri-device leak after ablation.

CONCLUSION

In a large, international registry of patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF with pre-existing LAAO devices, ablation was feasible and device related complications were rare Despite higher bleeding risk in an LAAO population, 84% of patients with prior LAAO tolerated short term OAC post-ablation with bleeding events at expected rates for this population.