BARCELONA.—The shape of the heart chambers and the inclination at which the pulmonary veins enter the heart can affect the risk of suffering blood clots in the heart among patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia and one of the main causes of blood clots.
This is indicated by a study carried out by the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona (Spain) and the Côte d’Azur University (France), which points out that this risk is perceived above all by the inclination with which the pulmonary veins reach the appendix of the left atrium, a small irregular cavity of the heart.
Blood clots are caused by blood stagnation in the left atrial appendage, which can cause serious health problems, such as a stroke or, in the worst cases, even death.
These blood clots can appear due to multiple factors, although one of the main ones today is atrial fibrillation, which alters the normal rhythm with which the heart should pump blood.
However, scientific advances do not yet allow us to know why some patients with atrial fibrillation do not develop blood clots, while others do.
“The results of the research open the door to better stratifying patients at risk of suffering a stroke among people with atrial fibrillation,” said the lead author of the article and researcher in the UPF PhySense group, Jordi Mill.
The research, published in the journal “Scientific Reports (Nature)”, has the largest sample ever used in studies of this type, with 130 patients, among whom there are two groups: those who have suffered blood clots and those who have not.
The aim was to determine, using customised computer simulations, whether there were morphological differences in the heart and pulmonary veins between the first and second groups, as well as variations in their blood circulation patterns.
For this reason, several parameters related to the anatomical characteristics of the left atrium and its appendage, the inclination, configuration and number of pulmonary veins, blood circulation patterns or blood flow monitoring particles have been measured for each patient.
As a result of this analysis, the research concluded that the angle of inclination at which the pulmonary veins are oriented towards the left atrial appendage is of primary importance in the flow of blood circulation and, therefore, in the risk of thrombus formation.
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2024-07-14 12:50:32
