Mr. Ma, a 54-year-old patient from Guangdong, successfully underwent implantation of the Penditure™ Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion System at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. The system is a repositionable clip designed to occlude the left atrial appendage and help prevent stroke. Unlike older devices, it can be reopened and repositioned during surgery.
The device was introduced through the "Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect" policy. It has already obtained CE marking and FDA approval and was implanted for the first time on the Chinese mainland. The implantation marks a major achievement for the hospital in adopting the world's latest surgical technology for left atrial appendage closure.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia. "Effective management of the left atrial appendage has become a key strategy for stroke prevention in AF patients," said Professor Guo Huiming, Deputy Director of the Cardiac Surgery Department and Director of the Minimally Invasive Valve Center at the hospital.
Traditional surgical approaches to the left atrial appendage often carry risks of bleeding or incomplete closure. To improve success rates, left atrial appendage closure has emerged as an important technique.
Unlike conventional devices, the Penditure™ system is the world's only left atrial appendage exclusion system that can be released repeatedly during surgery. It can be retrieved, repositioned, and redeployed as needed, offering greater flexibility and precision.
Mr. Ma, the first beneficiary of this innovative technology, had suffered from atrial fibrillation for nearly a decade. Echocardiography also indicated severe rheumatic mitral stenosis with moderate regurgitation.
"To minimize surgical trauma, we performed a thoracoscopic mitral valve replacement combined with radiofrequency ablation and used the Penditure™ system for left atrial appendage closure to reduce the long-term risk of thrombus formation," Professor Guo explained.
He further likened the system to a "precision lock" that can be adjusted repeatedly. "The left atrial appendage is a high-risk source of blood clots. This device acts like an adjustable lock, ensuring complete closure while allowing intraoperative optimization based on the patient's anatomy, thereby maximizing safety and reliability."
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital
