Early Discontinuation of Antithrombotic Treatment Following Left Atrial Appendage Closure

Although antithrombotic treatment is recommended after left atrial appendage closure (LAAC), some patients require discontinuation of antithrombotic treatment after LAAC without evidence on the safety of such a strategy. We sought to evaluate outcomes of patients who had early antithrombotic treatment discontinuation after LAAC. This is a multicenter study including 1,082 patients who underwent successful LAAC. Early discontinuation of antithrombotic treatment was defined as discontinuation of all antiplatelet/anticoagulant treatment within 6 months following the procedure. A propensity-matched analysis was used to compare outcomes of patients with and without early antithrombotic treatment discontinuation. A total of 148 patients (13.7%) had early antithrombotic treatment discontinuation. In the entire population, antithrombotic treatment discontinuation patients exhibited a lower CHA₂DS₂-VASc score (p <0.001) and a higher rate of previous gastrointestinal bleeding episodes (p = 0.01) compared with patients without discontinuation. After a median follow-up of 2.1 (1,1-3.1) years after antithrombotic treatment discontinuation, the rates of death, ischemic stroke, and major bleeding were 12.1, 0.6, and 3.3 per 100 patient-years. In 119 matched pairs with similar baseline characteristics, antithrombotic treatment discontinuation patients had a similar risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65 to 1.71, p = 0.82), ischemic stroke (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.04 to 3.79, p = 0.42) and major bleeding (HR 1.48, 95% CI 0.56 to 3.88, p = 0.43) compared with those without discontinuation. In conclusion, antithrombotic treatment was discontinued in 1 of 7 selected patients within 6 months after LAAC, and this was not associated with an increased risk of death or thromboembolic events after a median follow-up of 2 years. These data support the safety of shorter periods of antithrombotic therapy after LAAC in high bleeding risk patients based on clinician judgment. Further trials are warranted.