Heart failure and the risk of left atrial thrombus formation in patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter

Aims The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of left atrial thrombus (LAT) on transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) in patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (AF/AFl) with reference to the presence of heart failure (HF) and its subtypes. Methods and results The research is a sub‐study of the multicentre, prospective, observational Left Atrial Thrombus on Transoesophageal Echocardiography (LATTEE) registry, which comprised 3109 consecutive patients with AF/AFl undergoing TOE prior to direct current cardioversion or catheter ablation. TOE parameters, including presence of LAT, were compared between patients with and without HF and across different subtypes of HF, including HF with preserved (HFpEF), mid‐range (HFmrEF), and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). HF was diagnosed in 1336 patients (43%). HF patients had higher prevalence of LAT than non‐HF patients (12.8% vs. 4.4%; P