A new episode of the Beyond Journal Club podcast tackles the growing number of patients asking their doctors about a device used to reduce stroke risk in people with an irregular heartbeat.
The New England Journal of Medicine Group and the Core IM podcast have released an episode aimed at helping clinicians answer a question that’s coming up more often in consultations: should my patient have a left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device?
The left atrial appendage is a small pouch in the upper-left chamber of the heart. In people with atrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm — blood can pool and clot in that pouch, raising the risk of stroke. A closure device seals it off. The procedure is typically considered for patients who cannot safely take long-term blood-thinning medication.
On top of that, the episode focuses on tradeoffs. Stroke prevention is one side of the equation; bleeding risk from anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drugs is the other. Neither option is straightforward, and the podcast is designed to help doctors explain those competing risks clearly to patients.
So if a patient walks in having read about LAAC online — which happens — clinicians now have a structured resource to draw on before that conversation.
The Beyond Journal Club series is produced in partnership between the NEJM Group and Core IM, a podcast aimed at internal medicine doctors. Episodes are built around real clinical decisions rather than journal abstracts alone.
Patients who have questions about atrial fibrillation, stroke prevention, or blood-thinning medication should speak to their GP in the first instance. Anyone unsure whether a symptom needs urgent attention can call NHS 111.
Key information
- Speak to your GP if you have questions about atrial fibrillation or stroke prevention options
- Call NHS 111 for non-emergency health advice, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- In an emergency, call 999
Source: @NEJM