"LAA Closure Holds Up Against Warfarin Long-Term" - Nicole Lou
Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure with the Watchman device is comparable to warfarin (Coumadin) long-term for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (Afib), according to pooled data from the PREVAIL and PROTECT AF trials. The PREVAIL data and meta-analysis with 5-year data from PROTECT AF were simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The next generation of studies will come in two forms: large registries and comparisons of LAA closure with NOACs, said lead author Vivek Reddy, MD, professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cardiac arrhythmia services at the Mount Sinai Health System. When it comes to the latter, "my guess is the large trials will start in 2 years and it will take 3 to 5 years to see some data, and it will be somewhere around 5 to 7 years before we get definitive data," Dr. Reddy predicted.
- Vivek Reddy, MD, MS, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cardiac Arrhythmia Services, Mount Sinai Health System
