Portneuf Heart and Vascular Institute (PHVI) announces participation in the Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion for Prophylactic Stroke Prevention (LeAAPS) Trial. PHVI is the only site in Idaho enrolling in the landmark clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of left atrial appendage exclusion during open heart surgery on patients with a high risk of clotting.
Left atrial appendageexclusion (LAAE) is a permanent, continuous approach to stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). The trial aims to advance best practices for stroke or embolism risk reduction following cardiac surgery.
“Portneuf applied to participate in this clinical trial knowing that we would have an opportunity to help pave the way for advancements in cardiovascular surgery,” said Jacob DeLaRosa, MD, the Wheeler Family Endowed Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at PMC. “This clinical trial may reveal improved surgical outcomes for certain patients who are at a higher risk of forming blood clots. We are excited to be part of that research.”
The Portneuf Heart and Vascular Institute (PHVI) cardiothoracic surgical team is participating in the clinical trial with Jacob DeLaRosa, MD as the primary investigator. This is exciting for patients as those who undergo open heart surgery at PMC may be selected to be part of the clinical trial if they meet necessary criteria.
At the center of the LeAAPS clinical trial is the AtripClip® which is a device that is implanted to exclude the left atrial appendage during cardiac surgery to reduce the occurrence of stroke in patients at an increased risk. The AtripClip® device has been implanted in more than 475,000 patients worldwide. This clinical trial will be conducted at roughly 250 sites across the United States, Canada and Europe.
PHVI provides expert care to patients with a wide variety of cardiovascular needs. To learn more about our heart program and team of providers, visit Portneuf.org/hearts.