Temporal Trends and Outcomes of Same-Day Discharge After Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: Insight from National Readmission Database

Same-Day Discharge After Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Procedures

Information is evolving on the safety of same-day discharge (SDD) after left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedures. This single-centre retrospective study evaluated the feasibility of SDD and reported on the 30-day rehospitalization rate in patients discharged same-day compared with those admitted overnight after LAAO. Key findings of this study included more than 85% of patients with LAAO were safely discharged same-day; the rate of postdischarge rehospitalization was similar in SDD patients and those admitted overnight; and approximately 1 in 10 patients who had LAAO procedures were rehospitalized within 30 days postprocedure.

National Trends of Structural Heart Disease Interventions from 2016 to 2020 in the United States and the Associated Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic placed an enormous strain on the healthcare system. Data on the impact of COVID-19 on the utilization and outcomes of structural heart disease interventions in the United States are scarce. The National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2020 was queried to identify adult admissions for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO), and transcatheter end-to-end repair (TEER). The primary outcome was temporal trends of procedure utilization rate per 100,000 admissions over quarters from 2016 to 2020. The secondary outcomes were adjusted rates of in-hospital mortality, major complications, and length of stay (LOS). Among 434,630 weighted admissions (TAVR: 305,550; LAAO: 89,300; TEER: 40,160), 95,010 admissions (22%) were during the COVID-19 era. There was a decline during the second quarter of 2020 followed by an increase to the pre pandemic levels (TAVR: 220 to 253, LAAO: 57 to 109, and TEER: 31 to 36 per 100,000 admissions, Ptrend<0.001). There were no differences in the mortality or major complication rates. Median LOS has decreased in TAVR (4 days-1 day) and in TEER (3 days-1 day) but remained stable in LAAO (1 day). This nationwide analysis showed that structural heart disease interventions decreased during the early waves of COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant reduction in hospital LOS without differences in in-hospital mortality or complication rates during the pandemic. These data suggest that hospitals adapted to the unprecedent challenges during the pandemic to provide advanced cardiac care to patients.

Predictors of successful same-day discharge and 1-year outcomes after left atrial appendage closure

BACKGROUND

Same-day discharge (SDD) following left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is increasingly common but predictors of successful SDD and 1-year clinical outcomes have not been described.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore predictors of successful SDD and report 1-year outcomes in patients undergoing LAAC with SDD.

METHODS

A prospective analysis was performed over a 20-month period of 225 consecutive patients that underwent LAAC in a large, academic hospital. All patients included in the study underwent a SDD protocol. Baseline characteristics and 1-year outcomes of patients discharged same day of the procedure versus those that required at least one overnight stay were compared. Adverse events, procedural success, and procedure times were evaluated.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-one patients (72%) of patients were discharged the same day and 64 patients (28%) required at least an overnight stay (non-SDD: NSDD). NSDD patients were older and more often female. Procedure time was also longer in the NSDD group than in the SDD (63.4 vs. 55.1 min; p = 0.01). While overall procedural success rates were similar between the SDD and NSDD groups (99.4% vs. 98.4%; p = 0.39), NSDD patients had more complications (9.4% vs. 0%; p = 0.01) and higher number of devices per procedure (1.2 vs. 1.0; p = 0.01) as compared to SDD. At 1 year, there were no significant difference between the SDD and NSDD groups in stroke (1.1% vs. 0%; log-rank p = 0.44) and all-cause mortality (3.9% vs. 4.7%; log-rank p = 0.70).

CONCLUSION

In this single-center LAAC experience, female sex, older age, and longer procedure duration were associated with higher likelihood for need of overnight stay. At 1-year follow-up, there were no significant differences in stroke events and death rates between SDD and NSDD groups.