LAAO Versus NOAC in Patients with AF and PCI

Atrial fibrillation (AF) coincides with coronary artery disease (CAD) shared common risk factors and pathophysiologic pathways. CAD affects approximately 25% of AF patient according to the trial Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM), while in the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) atrial fibrillation affected about 9% of patients with CAD. It is reported that approximately 5-8% of the patients who underwent PCI had concomitated atrial fibrillation. For AF patients who underwent PCI, both antiplatelet and antithrombotic medications are required for preventing stent thrombosis and ischemic stroke, leading to an increased risk of bleeding. Finding a safe and effective balance between the risk of ischaemic events and bleeding complications is challenged by the shared risk factors for either event such as advanced age, congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, previous stroke, etc.. Previous pivotal trials have shown that in patients with atrial fibrillation and requiring antiplatelet treatment, a NOAC plus clopidogrel regimen was associated with a lower incidence of bleeding events as compared with a warfarin-based triple antithrombotic strategy. Therefore, the current expert opinions and consensus of North American Societies recommend a NOAC plus a P2Y12 inhibitor in patients with AF and PCI. However, the NOAC plus clopidogrel strategy still led to 16.8% of clinically significant bleeding (PIONEER AF-PCI). Consequently, the compliance of OAC/NOAC is commonly suboptimal among PCI patients who require an antithrombotic strategy for AF. Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a non-pharmacological strategy for stroke prevention in patients with AF. Both randomized data and registries have confirmed it can be an alternative to oral anticoagulation in patients with nonvalvular AF. Current guidelines recommend LAAO for patients with NVAF who have contraindications or are unsuitable for long-term OAC.