Differences in the predictors of left atrial appendage thrombus between men and women treated with dabigatran or rivaroxaban

Abstract

The gold standard for the exclusion of left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) is transesophageal echocardiography (TOE). There are no unequivocal data on whether patients awaiting ablation or electric cardioversion should routinely undergo TOE, which is an invasive procedure performed by trained and experienced personnel. Some patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) develop LAAT despite receiving anticoagulant treatment. The CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores are used to assess thromboembolic risk in patients with nonvalvular AF. The CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF score has been developed to improve thromboembolic risk stratification. In this study, we identified sex-related predictors of LAAT in patients treated with dabigatran or rivaroxaban. All the assessed scores had a similar predictive value in men, while the CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF score had the highest predictive value in women.