Un artículo publicado recientemente en el JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) destaca los beneficios de la oclusión quirúrgica del auricular izquierdo para prevenir eventos tromboembólicos en pacientes mayores con fibrilación auricular sometidos a cirugía cardíaca.

Asociación entre la oclusión del apéndice auricular izquierdo y la readmisión por tromboembolismo en pacientes con fibrilación auricular sometidos a cirugía cardíaca concomitante.

Friedman DJ, Piccini JP, Wang T, Zheng J, Malaisrie SC, Holmes DR, Suri RM, Mack MJ, Badhwar V, Jacobs JP, Gaca JG, Chow SC, Peterson ED, Brennan JM.

Key Points
Question Is surgical left atrial appendage occlusion associated with a reduction in long-term thromboembolic events?

Findings In this retrospective cohort study of 10 524 Medicare recipients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardiac surgery, surgical left atrial appendage occlusion, compared with no surgical left atrial appendage occlusion, was significantly associated with lower risk of readmission for thromboembolism at 3 years (unadjusted, 4.2% vs 6.2%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.67).

Meaning Surgical left atrial appendage occlusion may be of benefit in preventing thromboembolic events in older patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardiac surgery, although randomized trials would be necessary to provide definitive evidence.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29362794