Vincent See, MD, electrophysiologist, as well as Murtaza Dawood, MD, cardiac surgeon, discuss how procedures like the Watchman™ device implantation are helping to prevent stroke in afib patients. By closing off the LAA, a thin, sack-like appendix arising from the left side of the heart that is believed to be the source of a majority of stroke-causing blood clots in people with non-valvular afib, the risk of stroke may be reduced and, over time, patients may be able to stop taking warfarin. Implantation is a one-time procedure that usually lasts about an hour.
Specific indications for the Watchman™ include:
• CHADS2 
2 or CHA2DS2-VASc 3
• Relative contraindication to long-term AC
• Ability to tolerate short-term AC (45 days) with Coumadin following implant
Patients with afib have a five-fold increased risk of stroke and many therapies are systemic in nature requiring a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. For more information or to refer a patient to University of Maryland Heart & Vascular Center, call 410-328-6056.
REFER A PATIENT
Call 410-328-6056, download the UMMC MD Referral App or learn more.
Learn more about atrial fibrillation at University of Maryland
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Mukta Srivastava, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include coronary interventions including, physiologic and anatomic coronary assessments with FFR, IVUS ...
