Experimental use of left atrial appendage occluder

Abstract

Left atrial appendage occlusion is a non-pharmacological method for preventing thromboembolic complications in patients with atrial fibrillation. Due to the high prevalence of atrial fibrillation worldwide and in the Russian Federation, the number of patients requiring prevention of its thromboembolic complications with anticoagulant therapy is constantly increasing. However, because of certain limitations in its use, the development of new types of left atrial appendage occluders, particularly domestically produced ones, as an alternative to drug-based anticoagulation and their implementation in clinical practice is an extremely actual issue. Objective . To test a new left atrial appendage occluder model and demonstrate its advantages over the existing old-type model. Material and methods . Two experiments were conducted: 1) implantation of a prototype occluder into a silicone model of the left atrium; 2) implantation of a prototype occluder in the left atrial appendage of a porcine heart . Conclusions. A new model of left atrial appendage occluder was tested. Experiments on silicone models and fresh porcine hearts showed that the new model is not inferior to the existing ones, and no significant disadvantages of the new model were identified.