Clinical Results and Safety of Intracardiac Echocardiography Guidance for Combined Catheter Ablation and Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion

Background: The goal of this study was to compare the procedural safety and long-term outcome associated with a combined catheter ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedure utilizing intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) guidance versus transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance. The study focuses on implementing LAmbre and Watchman devices in patients diagnosed with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: A total of 363 patients diagnosed with nonvalvular AF and who underwent a combined procedure were prospectively enrolled between November 2017 and May 2022. Following 1:1 propensity score matching, the TEE group (n = 132) and ICE group (n = 132) were systematically compared in terms of the combined procedure, imaging parameters, events related to the procedure, and subsequent outcomes during follow-up, including mortality, stroke, bleeding, device-related thrombus (DRT), and peri-device leaks (PDLs). Results: The ICE group exhibited a significant reduction in total procedural duration (153.71 ± 31.71 vs. 174.74 ± 18.79 min), fluoroscopy radiation dosage (207.24 ± 108.39 vs. 268.61 ± 122.88 mGy), left atrial appendage occlusion procedure time (34.69 ± 10.91 vs. 51.46 ± 15.84 min), and contrast agent exposure (108.71 ± 37.59 vs. 158.41 ± 45.00 mL) compared to the TEE group. Angiography and ICE demonstrated a substantial correlation between the left atrial appendage (LAA) orifice and landing zone/LAA ostium (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.808 and 0.536/0.697, two-tailed p < 0.001). No occurrences of device-related embolism, thromboembolism, significant bleeding, or unexpected fatalities were observed in either group. Comparable rates of all-cause death (0.76% vs. 0.76%), stroke or transient ischemic attack (2.27% vs. 1.52%), severe bleeding (1.52% vs. 0.76%), PDL (23.81% vs. 24.62%), and DRT (1.52% vs. 1.52%) were noted after an average follow-up of 18.46 ± 7.70 months in both groups, with no discernible differences. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified a correlation between LAA velocity and the risk of PDL. Conclusions: The effectiveness and safety of ICE-guided combined treatment were demonstrated to be comparable to TEE guidance, accompanied by the additional advantages of decreased procedure time and fluoroscopy radiation exposure. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04391504, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov.