Johnsrud DO, et al. - In 124 patients from Olmsted County with prior history of atrial fibrillation (AF) who had cardiac surgery between 1993 and 2015, researchers tested the premise that left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion does not significantly alter subsequent anticoagulation use or stroke incidence. Based on LAA exclusion, two patient groups were formed and matched (1:1) according to 16 pre-treatment variables using propensity scores obtained from a logistic regression model. These groups were compared in terms of survival, stroke, and the presence and duration of anticoagulation. According to findings, LAA exclusion did not appear to attenuate early or late stroke. An attenuated stroke risk was observed only in relation to OAC. These findings call for continued anticoagulation in high-risk patients.