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Ann Thorac Surg 1996;61:515
© 1996 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Editorial

Obliteration of the Left Atrial Appendage: A Concept Worth Testing

Division of Cardiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Odell, Blackshear, and their associates [1, 2] provide a convincing argument that in patients with atrial fibrillation, atrial thrombi often arise from the left atrial appendage, removal of the appendage should reduce the risk of stroke, and it is technically feasible to achieve this with thoracoscopic technique. The challenge is to determine which patients would be appropriate candidates for this approach, the potential risks of the operation relative to its benefit, and the impact on the risk of stroke.

For patients who require a cardiac operation the risk of stroke is increased from 1.4% to 3.3% by the presence of atrial fibrillation during . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Thoracoscopic Obliteration of the Left Atrial Appendage: Potential for Stroke Reduction?

John A. Odell, Joseph L. Blackshear, Edward Davies, W. John Byrne, Christine F. Kollmorgen, William D. Edwards, and Thomas A. Orszulak
Ann. Thorac. Surg. 1996 61: 565-569. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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