Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Transcatheter Occlusion (PLAATO System) to Prevent Stroke in High-Risk Patients With Non-Rheumatic Atrial Fibrillation

These studies were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion using the PLAATO system (ev3 Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota).Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a five-fold increased risk for stroke. Other studies have shown that more than 90% of atrial thrombi in patients with non-rheumatic AF originate in the LAA. Transvenous closure of the LAA is a new approach in preventing embolism in these...