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Heart and Vascular Programs
WATCHMAN™
More than 90% come off blood thinners within 6 weeks of the procedure.
What is Atrial Fibrillation?
Why am I at Increased Risk of Stroke?
People with AFib have a higher risk of stroke because the heart’s upper chambers cannot push the blood through normally. Blood can pool inside the left atrial appendage or LAA, a small sac in the muscle wall of the top left chamber of the heart.
If this happens, cells may stick together to form a clot. The clot may move out of the LAA and travel to other areas of the body, such as the brain, causing a stroke.
LLAC Procedures at ChristianaCare
ChristianaCare was the first health system in Delaware to perform left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedures.
Since the device’s approval by the FDA in 2015, our heart team has implanted more than 400 WATCHMAN™ devices. More than 90% of patients come off blood thinners within 6 weeks and almost all can stop them by 6 months, surpassing the success rate of 92% shown in clinical trials.
Our Team
Our team of highly skilled interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists use the WATCHMAN™ device as an alternative stroke risk prevention method.
The Structural Heart Program at ChristianaCare has a team of dedicated physicians who can tell you if you are a good candidate for left atrial appendage closure with the WATCHMAN™ device to reduce the risk of stroke and improve your quality of life.
WATCHMAN™ Device and Procedure
Procedure and After Care
To implant the WATCHMAN™ device, you will be put to sleep under anesthesia. Your physician will make a small incision in your leg and thread a catheter (thin, flexible tube) through an artery to your heart and into the LAA. The procedure lasts about two hours; you then will be moved to the recovery area.
Typically, patients are in the hospital for one day and then discharged to home. After you go home, our team will continue to monitor you with regular follow-up appointments to make sure your recovery goes well.
Related Content
For the Love of Health Podcast
Learn more about the mechanics of atrial fibrillation, risks and care options, why a treatment technique called catheter-based ablation is becoming more common, why it is offering better outcomes for many patients, and why those results may be even easier to achieve in the coming years, on the ChristianaCare podcast, For the Love of Health.
