Sarah Zimmerman, MS
Statistician 3Cards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Shared Decision-Making and Patient Decision Aids for Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion
Rager J, Huang C, Zimmerman S, Dhruva S, Freeman J, Matlock D, Minges K, Sandhu A, Spatz E, Varosy P, Caverly T. Shared Decision-Making and Patient Decision Aids for Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion. JAMA Network Open 2026, 9: e2556937. PMID: 41686441, PMCID: PMC12905655, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.56937.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsShared decision-makingCenters for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPatient decision aidsNational Cardiovascular Data RegistryDecision aidCohort studyCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services requirementsUnadjusted ratesDA useNational Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO RegistryPercutaneous left atrial appendage occlusionAmerican College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data RegistryAmerican CollegeUnique patient encountersHierarchical logistic regressionProportion of encountersCohort study of patientsStudy periodPatient encountersMedicaid ServicesMain OutcomesUnadjusted analysisData registryLogistic regressionInstitutional levelUsing Machine Learning to Predict Adverse Events in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion
Faridi K, Mortazavi B, Huang S, Zimmerman S, Friedman D, Khera R, Krumholz H, Curtis J, Freeman J. Using Machine Learning to Predict Adverse Events in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion. JACC Advances 2026, 5: 102540. PMID: 41564729, PMCID: PMC12859245, DOI: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.102540.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchLeft atrial appendage occlusionMajor adverse eventsLogistic regressionRare outcomesCardiovascular risk modelsMachine learningAppendage occlusionAdverse eventsLeft atrial appendage occlusion procedureComposite major adverse eventsIn-hospital major adverse eventsMachine learning methodsRisk modelExtreme gradient boostingPredicting adverse eventsLearning methodsValidation cohortMortality predictionGradient boostingMAE rateXGBoostModel creationCohort
2025
Outcomes of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Patients With Prior Gastrointestinal Bleeds
Darden D, Katapadi A, Huang C, Zimmerman S, Lakkireddy D, Kabra R, Pothineni N, Gopinathannair R, Munir M, Freeman J, Hsu J. Outcomes of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Patients With Prior Gastrointestinal Bleeds. JACC Clinical Electrophysiology 2025, 12: 119-130. PMID: 41171239, DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2025.09.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchLeft atrial appendage occlusionNational Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO RegistryGastrointestinal bleedingLong-term outcomesMajor bleedingStroke riskIn-HospitalStroke prevention strategiesAppendage occlusionOutcomes of left atrial appendage occlusionIn-hospital major complicationsLong-term adverse eventsLong-term riskAssociated with higher ratesAntithrombotic prescriptionPrevention strategiesDual antiplatelet therapyIn-Hospital ComplicationsWatchman 2.5Clinical riskMajor complicationsOral anticoagulantsAntithrombotic regimensBleeding riskWatchman FLXLong‐Term Outcomes Following Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Medicare Beneficiaries: Outcomes From the National Cardiovascular Data Registry
Higgins A, Zimmerman S, Wang Y, Friedman D, Faridi K, Price M, Reddy V, Holmes D, Curtis J, Freeman J. Long‐Term Outcomes Following Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Medicare Beneficiaries: Outcomes From the National Cardiovascular Data Registry. Journal Of The American Heart Association 2025, 14: e039780. PMID: 40767285, PMCID: PMC12533740, DOI: 10.1161/jaha.124.039780.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNational Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO RegistryCumulative incidence of ischemic strokeMedicare fee-for-service claims dataNational Cardiovascular Data RegistryCumulative incidenceIncidence of ischemic strokeCohort of Medicare patientsAll-Cause MortalityIschemic strokeFollow-upRetrospective cohort studyMedicare beneficiariesPatient valuesMedicare patientsClaims dataCumulative incidence of deathData registryCohort studyProbabilistic matchingPrimary outcomeMortality estimatesElderly populationAppendage occlusionOutcome dataPercutaneous left atrial appendage occlusionComparing Claims Data to Stroke and Bleeding in the NCDR Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Registry
Faridi K, Freeman J, Wang Y, Pereira L, Zimmerman S, Friedman D, Sharma R, Higgins A, Mortazavi B, Ross J, Krumholz H, Yeh R, Curtis J. Comparing Claims Data to Stroke and Bleeding in the NCDR Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Registry. JACC Advances 2025, 4: 102019. PMID: 40712270, PMCID: PMC12311505, DOI: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.102019.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchInternational ClassificationPositive predictive valueClaims dataRegistry dataIncidence rateNational Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO RegistryGastrointestinal bleedingIntracranial hemorrhageHemorrhagic strokeBleeding eventsIschemic strokePostmarketing surveillanceTranscatheter left atrial appendage occlusionInpatient hospitalizationSurveillance of therapyRevision codesMajor bleeding eventsNegative predictive valueKappa statisticRegistryRegistry patientsModerate agreementEstimates of sensitivityMajor bleedingAppendage occlusionClinical Effectiveness of Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion With Watchman FLX Compared With First-Generation Watchman
Price M, Tan Z, Zimmerman S, Curtis J, Freeman J. Clinical Effectiveness of Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion With Watchman FLX Compared With First-Generation Watchman. JACC Cardiovascular Interventions 2025, 18: 1318-1326. PMID: 40436498, DOI: 10.1016/j.jcin.2025.03.025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWatchman FLXNational Cardiovascular Data Registry LAAO RegistryDevice-related thrombusIschemic strokeClinical effectsWatchman 2.5Peridevice leakAppendage occlusionAdverse eventsAssociated with significantly lower riskTranscatheter left atrial appendage occlusionSignificantly lower riskLeft atrial appendage occlusionSecondary analysisPropensity Score Matching AnalysisScore matching analysisStudy cohortPropensity score matchingSystemic embolismAnatomical closureTransesophageal echocardiographyPrimary endpointLow riskProcedural complicationsWatchman deviceSame‐Day Discharge After Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in the United States
Sandhu A, Qin L, Minges K, Zimmerman S, Borne R, Polsinelli V, Ho P, Hsu J, Al‐Khatib S, Freeman J, Bradley S, Rao S, Hernandez A, Tzou W, Varosy P, Hess P. Same‐Day Discharge After Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in the United States. Journal Of The American Heart Association 2025, 14: e039190. PMID: 40240938, PMCID: PMC12184264, DOI: 10.1161/jaha.124.039190.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSame-day dischargeRate of same-day dischargeAF ablationComplication rateAtrial fibrillationPersistent AFCatheter ablation of atrial fibrillationAblation of atrial fibrillationOvernight hospitalizationLikelihood of same-day dischargeSame-day discharge ratePostprocedural complication rateSame-day discharge patientsSubstantial hospital variationCatheter ablationDays postprocedureClinical factorsBlack raceIndex procedureComorbid conditionsPatientsHospital variationSame-dayHospitalComplicationsLONG-TERM OUTCOMES FOLLOWING LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION IN MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES: OUTCOMES FROM THE NATIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR DATA REGISTRY
Higgins A, Zimmerman S, Wang Y, Friedman D, Faridi K, Price M, Reddy V, Holmes D, Curtis J, Freeman J. LONG-TERM OUTCOMES FOLLOWING LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION IN MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES: OUTCOMES FROM THE NATIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR DATA REGISTRY. Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology 2025, 85: 869. DOI: 10.1016/s0735-1097(25)01353-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPO-02-199 OUTCOMES OF LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDS: INSIGHTS FROM THE NATIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR DATA REGISTRY LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION REGISTRY
Katapadi A, Huang C, Zimmerman S, Pothineni N, Gopinathannair R, Kabra R, Lakkireddy D, Munir M, Freeman J, Hsu J, Darden D. PO-02-199 OUTCOMES OF LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDS: INSIGHTS FROM THE NATIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR DATA REGISTRY LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION REGISTRY. Heart Rhythm 2025, 22: s325. DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2025.03.681.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Association of Physician Certification and Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion
Vora A, Pereira L, Du C, Tan Z, Huang C, Friedman D, Wang Y, Faridi K, Lakkireddy D, Zimmerman S, Higgins A, Kapadia S, Curtis J, Freeman J. Association of Physician Certification and Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion. JACC Cardiovascular Interventions 2024, 18: 591-602. PMID: 39474982, DOI: 10.1016/j.jcin.2024.10.020.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPhysician certificationAppendage occlusionAdverse eventsPercutaneous left atrial appendage occlusionLong-term oral anticoagulationDischarged patientsMultivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysisRate of procedural complicationsLeft atrial appendage occlusionCox proportional hazards regression analysisProportional hazards regression analysisRisk of adverse eventsHazards regression analysisIn-Hospital DeathOral anticoagulantsWatchman FLXNo significant differenceLAAO devicesProcedural complicationsStratify patientsIntracardiac echocardiographyAtrial fibrillationEligible patientsIdentified patientsMultivariable adjustment
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