The WATCHMAN™ Device offers a new stroke risk reduction option for high-risk patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who are seeking an alternative to long-term warfarin therapy.
What is Atrial Fibrillation?
More than five million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation (AFib), an abnormal heart rhythm that makes it difficult to efficiently pump blood throughout the body. AFib often causes fatigue, dizziness and breathing difficulties and can lead to more serious conditions including congestive heart failure and stroke. Patients with AFib have a five-fold increased risk of stroke.
What is the WATCHMAN™ Device?
The WATCHMAN™ Implant closes off an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage (LAA) to keep harmful blood clots that can form in the LAA from entering the blood stream and potentially causing a stroke. It is estimated that 90% of the clots from the heart that cause strokes come from the LAA. By closing off the LAA, the risk of stroke may be reduced and, over time, patients may be able to stop taking warfarin.
What are the Benefits of the WATCHMAN™ Device?
This procedure usually takes one to two hours and is done under anesthesia, but is not an open chest or open-heart surgery. Patients who take blood thinners usually stop taking them around 45 days post-procedure.
- Offers patient stroke risk reduction
- Typically this is one-time procedure
- Significantly less pain than open-heart surgery
- Most patients who take blood thinners usually stop taking them around 45 days post-procedure
Inside the Procedure