Atrial thrombus detection on transoesophageal echocardiography in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardioversion or catheter ablation: A pooled analysis of rates and predictors.

Objective To summarize data on the rates and predictors of left atrial/left atrial appendage thrombus (LAT/LAAT) detection by transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) prior to electrical cardioversion (ECV) or catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were searched to identify all studies providing relevant data and published by October 07, 2020. Random-effects meta-analysis method was used to pool estimates. Results A total of 85 studies were included, reporting data from 56,660 patients with AF. In patients undergoing CA and ECV, the pooled prevalence of LAT/LAAT was respectively 1.8% and 7.5% in those not on oral anticoagulation (OAC), 1.8% and 5.5% in those taking OAC, 1.3% and 4.9% in case of adequate OAC. According to the type of OAC, the prevalence was 2.0% and 7.6% for vitamin K antagonist (VKA), 1.3% and 3.5% for direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC). Predictors of LAT/LAAT detection were non-paroxysmal AF (odds ratio [OR] 3.6, 95% confidence interval 2.4-5.2), hypertension (OR 2.9, 1.2-7.0), previous stroke (OR 3.0, 1.6-5.63), heart failure (OR 4.3, 2.7-6.8) and CHADS2 score ≥ 2 (OR 3.3, 1.9-5.8) for patients undergoing CA; and heart failure (OR 2.8, 1.3-6.2) and the CHA2 DS2 -VASc score (OR 2.55, 1.5-4.5) for those undergoing ECV. Conclusion The prevalence of LAT/LAAT in AF patients undergoing ECV or CA varies widely, mainly due to differences in patient risk profiles and OAC types. Further research should determine whether the predictors of LAT/LAAT detection identified by this study could be used to select patients who require preprocedural TEE. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.