<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="565624580" paraeid="{d7f99960-57e8-4a93-b11d-ce887bb9595f}{57}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have similar stroke and major bleeding<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">outcomes after receiving</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"> left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) versus traditional oral anticoagulant (OA) therapy</span><span> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">to prevent stroke, cardiologists say in a new review.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1659285693" paraeid="{66255d6e-4ed7-4b74-8b1e-c03f4aa603bc}{249}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Additionally, LAAC reduces the risk of bleeding but increases the risk of ischemic stroke in these patients.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="307000608" paraeid="{5ed5da6c-6ef7-4ff8-ad0b-048188dd590c}{153}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Claudio Laudani, MD, MSc, of the University of Catania, Italy, and colleagues from Italy and Poland, reported the corresponding research in a manuscript published online in<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><em>JAMA:</em> <em>Cardiology</em></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><em> </em>on Wednesday.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="112694013" paraeid="{b5f2ad47-5068-4d7c-b406-7aca5059fd70}{40}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Patients with AF are four-to-five times more likely to have a stroke than people without AF.<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">OAs are the most common management strategy<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">against stroke<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">in<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">these patients</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">, despite the</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>associated</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>bleeding risk</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">.</span><span> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Catheter-based LAAC may prevent stroke in AF patients as well, but this has not been compared with OAs as a standard treatment model.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1679312330" paraeid="{753ac800-22cc-4e4d-8f51-7e570a10afe5}{94}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Investigators in this meta-analysis<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">utilized</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>data from 8 trials — derived from PubMed, Cochrane Central and Web of Science up through March 2026, as well as international cardiology s</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">ocieties and news outlets</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>—<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">to compare outcomes in patients with AF after OAs or catheter-based LAAC.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1712242907" paraeid="{d3e255a1-3913-4a75-8d2f-e148ae81dd98}{91}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Long-term stroke and major bleeding were the co-primary outcomes in this analysis.<span> </span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1672367671" paraeid="{abe4273b-842a-4c91-8e93-d886a2099a37}{62}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Cardiovascular mortality, stroke</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">, systemic embolism, all-cause death, long-term stroke, major bleeding, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">stroke</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>and nonprocedural major bleeding were all individually evaluated as secondary outcomes.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>Periprocedural events were also<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">eva</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">luated.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1361999407" paraeid="{db506e00-9532-4554-83e4-027f5b991325}{49}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">The weighted mean follow-up time of the trials in the analysis was<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">37.9 months</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">. Patients with AF had similar rates of stroke and major bleeding across both the LAAC and OA groups.</span><span> </span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="944378229" paraeid="{8fb4aaf9-02ca-4243-a568-2b102fc33eac}{152}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Patients in the LAAC group had higher rates of ischemic stroke, but lower rates of nonprocedural major bleeding events compared with the OA group.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="759799788" paraeid="{a1070a3e-4fe4-4d15-9626-d37a5d96e037}{234}"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">The authors cautioned that the lack of individual patient data was a significant limitation in this study.</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="143637681" paraeid="{5a244426-532c-4de6-8f15-a8860fecf980}{50}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Overall, LAAC has similar outcomes compared with OA in patients with<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">AF but</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>carries an<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">additional</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>risk of ischemic stroke and reduces bleeding rates.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="1612095365" paraeid="{955195ac-8b2b-43a2-91db-f1b39cc41623}{138}"><strong><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Source:</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></strong></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="2016460375" paraeid="{cbd5420b-b509-44b9-b859-88aa3ef38fc8}{166}"><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Laudani C, Bujak K,<span> </span></span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW180235585 BCX0">Giacoppo</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span> </span>D, et al. Catheter-based left atrial appendage closure vs oral anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation: A systemic review and meta-analysis.<span> </span></span></span><em><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">JAMA </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW180235585 BCX0">Cardiol</span></span></em><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">. 2026 August 26 (Article in Press).</span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180235585 BCX0"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW180235585 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraid="407711446" paraeid="{955195ac-8b2b-43a2-91db-f1b39cc41623}{175}"><strong><span data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW180235585 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0">Image Credit: </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW180235585 BCX0">syahrir</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180235585 BCX0"> – stock.adobe.com</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW180235585 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></strong></p> </div>