Background: To assess the frequency of left atrium/left atrial appendage (LA/LAA) thrombus under treatment with non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in comparison with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF).
Methods: PubMed, Web of Science™, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies comparing NOACs with VKAs in AF patients who underwent diagnostic transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE).
Results: A total of four trials were considered eligible and were included in the meta-analysis. Four RCTs comprising n = 2397 AF patients (NOACs: n = 1412, VKAs: n = 985) were included in the meta-analysis. The frequency of LA/LAA thrombus formation under treatment with NOACs was similar to VKAs [odds ratio (OR) 1.14, 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) 0.97-1.65, p = 0.48]. Both treatment groups revealed an approximately 5% frequency of thrombus formation, although a precise calculation is not possible due to Simpson paradox. Indications of heterogeneity between the included trials were not found (χ test p = 0.99, I = 0%).
Conclusions: The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that NOACs are similar to VKAs regarding the frequency of LA/LAA thrombus in patients with AF. An unknown number of patients in the original studies did not receive sufficient anticoagulation for at least 3 weeks prior to TEE examination, and therefore the present results should be interpreted with caution. Systematic review registration- http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO . Unique identifier: PROSPERO CRD42017059293.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40001-018-0350-9 | DOI Listing |
Cardiovasc Eng Technol
January 2025
Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, Cambridge, USA.
Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common chronic cardiac arrhythmia that increases the risk of stroke, primarily due to thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA). Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) devices offer an alternative to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention. However, the complex and variable anatomy of the LAA presents significant challenges to device design and deployment.
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Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlood
January 2025
Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
In thrombosis and hemostasis, the formation of a platelet-fibrin thrombus or clot is a highly controlled process that varies, depending on the pathological context. Major signaling pathways in platelets are well established. However, studies with genetically modified mice have identified the contribution of hundreds of additional platelet-expressed proteins in arterial thrombus formation and bleeding.
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February 2025
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January 2025
Depeartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines; Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines;
Platelets are blood cells that play an integral role in hemostasis and the innate immune response. Platelet hyper- and hypoactivity have been implicated in metabolic disorders, increasing risk for both thrombosis and bleeding. Platelet activation and metabolism are tightly linked, with the numerous methods to measure the former but relatively few for the latter.
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