Band Occlusion of the Atrial Appendage

Objectives: A new device has been developed for occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA). Previous investigations have been in the canine model. The canine atrial appendage does not vary in size and shape as much as the human. The goal of this study was to investigate band occlusion of right atrial appendages in the pig model, which are more broad based. Methods: The right atrial appendages of six pigs were approached through a right thoracotomy. An expandable polyester fabric‐covered silicone band was placed on the appendage. The animals were evaluated at the time of band placement with fluoroscopy, contrast injection, and in three animals, echocardiography. After one week, the animals were again evaluated with fluoroscopy. The animals were sacrificed at 12 weeks. Results: Bands were placed without complication at the base of all six appendages. All appendages were effectively occluded and all bands remained at the appendage base. The healed atrial surface was consistently smooth and devoid of thrombus. Conclusions: Occlusion of a broad‐based appendage as seen with human LAA is feasible with this novel band technique. (J Card Surg 2010;25:156‐160)