External validation of CLOTS-AF score in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing transesophageal echocardiography
ANNALS OF MEDICINE, cilt.57, sa.1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 57 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/07853890.2025.2492836
- Dergi Adı: ANNALS OF MEDICINE
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
Background: Predicting thromboembolic events caused by left atrial appendage thrombosis (LAAT) is crucial since it is the most concerning complication of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Objective: The objective of this study was to establish the predictive effectiveness of a novel scoring system known as the CLOTS-AF score in identifying the existence of thrombus using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with NVAF and to compare it with the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively with 668 NVAF patients who underwent TEE in a single centre. The patients were categorized into two categories based on the presence or absence of LAAT on TEE. The CLOTS-AF score was computed for all patients, which was then compared to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Results: Thrombus was detected in the left atrial appendage (LAA) of 114 (17%) individuals. The study revealed that the thrombus (+) group had substantially higher CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc scores and CLOTS-AF scores (3 (2-4); 4 (3-6), p < .001), respectively. Furthermore, the CLOTS-AF score was shown to be a better predictor of LAAT than the CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score (AUC: 0.70 vs. AUC: 0.61, p < .001). Conclusions: This study could validate the CLOTS-AF score in an external cohort by demonstrating its significant predictive power and underscoring its vital role in clinical practice.