A comparison between stand-alone left atrial appendage occlusion and resection as a method of preventing cardiogenic thromboembolic stroke

Objective The present study evaluated the differences between left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) and left atrial appendage resection (LAAR) in terms of the safety and efficacy. Materials and methods From January 2018 to August 2022, 94 patients underwent a stand-alone LAAO, and 90 patients underwent stand-alone LAAR in our institution. All of these patients were included in this study. LAAO was performed via left mini-thoracotomy, and LAAR was performed via a left thoracoscopic approach. The patients’ characteristics and perioperative and postoperative data were obtained by retrospectively reviewing their medical records. Results The mean age of the patients was 72.4 ± 10.2 (LAAO) and 66.2 ± 9.4 (LAAR) years old ( P