Of the mechanical left atrial appendage closure device, Dr. Reddy, who was not involved in the study, stated, “the data is quite compelling for patients that are not good candidates for oral anticoagulation – and the elderly population seems to be a population that would particularly benefit.”
Dr. Reddy also pointed out, as did the authors, that the findings may not be applicable to women because 98% of those studied were men. He also observed that “virtually all (participants) were Caucasian, so it’s not known if there would be differences for other ethnicities.”
The National Institutes of Health and a number of other organizations supported this research. One coauthor reported disclosures.