The Role of Patient-Specific Morphological Features of the Left Atrial Appendage on the Thromboembolic Risk Under Atrial Fibrillation

BackgroundA large majority of thrombi causing ischemic complications under atrial fibrillation (AF) originate in the left atrial appendage (LAA), an anatomical structure departing from the left atrium, characterized by a large morphological variability between individuals. This work analyses the hemodynamics simulated for different patient-specific models of LAA by means of computational fluid–structure interaction studies, modeling the effect of the changes in contractility and shape resulting from AF.MethodsThree operating conditions were analyzed: sinus rhythm, acute atrial fibrillation, and chronic atrial fibrillation. These were simulated on four patient-specific LAA morphologies, each…