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May 21, 2021

WATCHMAN FLX for Atrial Fibrillation in New Albany, Indiana

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♪ [music] ♪

When the patients have atrial fibrillation,
the heart is beating very fast and erratic and that

makes the blood pool around
the upper chambers and it forms tiny clots.

And these tiny clots can escape and cause strokes.

To prevent stroke, we use blood thinners and you have
problems taking blood thinners for long-term.

The WATCHMAN device plugs the left atrial appendage or
the outpouching in the left upper chamber.

And most of the clots which are formed during atrial
fibrillation do not happen whilst the device is

implanted since the device seals the appendage.

So the WATCHMAN FLX is an improvised version of
WATCHMAN device which was approved in 2015.

The success rate was between 90% to 95%.

The newer generation of WATCHMAN FLX came,
which is much easier to maneuver and it has more

options for sizing, and the complication data
significantly reduced, and also the success rate

has significantly improved almost up to 98% to 99%.

So most of the patients who actually get the device
placed in when we start the blood thinner,

they're very, very happy because they don't need to
take medication all their life and they just got

from having a major stroke same
as taking a long-term blood thinner.

So the patients are elated.

♪ [music] ♪
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Baptist Health Floyd: WATCHMAN FLX for Atrial Fibrillation

The Watchman FLX is an alternative to blood thinners for patients with atrial fibrillation. Learn more about the Watchman FLX device from Baptist Health.

WATCHMAN FLX for Atrial Fibrillation HealthTalks Transcript

Satya Garimella, MD, Cardiology:
When patients have atrial fibrillation, the heart is beating very fast and erratically, and that makes the blood pool around the upper chambers and form tiny clots. These tiny clots can escape and cause strokes. To prevent stroke, we use blood thinners, [but] you can have problems taking blood thinners for the long term.

The WATCHMAN™ device plugs the left atrial appendage or the outpouching in the left upper chamber. Most of the clots, which are formed during atrial fibrillation, will not happen once the device is implanted since the device signals the appendage.

The WATCHMAN FLX™ is an improved version of a WATCHMAN™ device that was approved in 2015. The success rate was between 90% and 95%. When the newer generation of WATCHMAN FLX™ came [out], it was much easier to maneuver. It has more options for sizing, and the complication data is significantly reduced. Also, the success rate has significantly improved, almost to 98% to 99%.

For most of the patients who get the device placed, we stop the blood thinner. They’re very, very happy because they don’t need to take a medication all their life, and the risk of having a major stroke is the same as taking a long-term blood thinner. The patients are elated.

Useful Resources and Next Steps:

Take our Free Heart Health Risk Assessment
Find a Heart Care Provider Near You
What’s the Difference Between a Stroke and a Heart Attack?
Stroke Prevention with the Watchman Device in Paducah

Learn More.

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