Left atrial appendage occlusion devices: one size doesn't fit all? The turning point of a custom-made device

Abstract

Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) has as a comparable efficacy and safety profile compared with oral anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation. The procedural success rate is high, but some challenging anatomies may preclude optimal closure with standard devices. Our patient underwent a first LAAO attempt with Amplatzer Amulet 34 mm (St. Jude Medical, Saint Paul, MN, USA) and Watchman FLX 35 mm (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA), but device anchoring was not feasible or sub-optimal due to the oversized LAA. The procedure was postponed in order to perform a cardiac computed tomography angiography and a custom-made LAmbre Closure System 42/52 mm (Lifetech Scientific, Shenzhen, China), specifically fitted with patient's LAA anatomy, was successfully implanted. The procedure was straightforward, and the device perfectly adapted to our patient's anatomy, with no residual leak.

Learning objective

Left atrial appendage presents several morphologies and procedural success rate of left atrial appendage occlusion is high, but challenging anatomies may preclude optimal closure with standard devices. Our case emphasizes the importance of pre-procedural planning and the safety and feasibility of custom-made devices, overcoming procedural failure of a previous attempt with standard devices.