Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Guided Only by Transesophageal Echocardiography

AIMS: To investigate a new method of left atrial appendage occlusion without fluoroscopy. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed left atrial appendage occlusion for 14 patients with atrial fibrillation in our hospital. All of the surgeries were completed in a general surgery setting, avoiding fluoroscopy, and in each case, the entire procedure was guided by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). All of the surgeries were performed through the femoral vein pathway. All operations went smoothly with no serious complications. Postoperative TEE indicated that each device was in a good position, and there was no residual shunt around any of the devices. CONCLUSIONS: TEE-guided left atrial appendage occlusion is safe and reliable, simplifies the procedure, protects doctors and patients from radiation, and is gradually becoming the mainstream operation for left atrial appendage occlusion. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800018387.