LifeBridge Health Adds WATCHMAN Implant as Treatment Option for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Baltimore, MD - The LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute is now using the innovative WATCHMAN implant to treat people with atrial fibrillation (AFib) that is not heart valve related. The WATCHMAN can reduce patients' risks of having a stroke and allow them to cut back or stop taking blood thinners. The WATCHMAN is placed into the heart through a minimally-invasive procedure.

AFib is an irregular heartbeat that keeps the heart from pumping correctly. In turn, that can cause sufferers to become tired, dizzy, short of breath and have heart palpitations (fluttering in the chest); although sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and AFib is found during routine doctors' visits. Atrial fibrillation can be serious and lead to strokes, blood clots, heart attacks and other complications.

The WATCHMAN is an advanced option to combat AFib. It looks like a small umbrella and is inserted into the heart through a catheter in the upper leg. It prevents clots from forming in the upper left chamber of the heart and then moving to other parts of the body. The WATCHMAN seals off that area, which is responsible for most of the stroke-causing clots that are not heart valve related.

In clinical trials and long-term follow-up, 99 percent of patients who had a WATCHMAN implanted were able to stop taking blood thinners following the procedure, which reduced or eliminated their long-term risk of bleeding that can go hand-in-hand with taking blood thinners.

The WATCHMAN is the only device of its kind approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration.

For more information on all of our cardiovascular-related services, visit the LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute page, or call (410) 601-WELL to schedule an appointment.

LifeBridge Health is one of the largest, most comprehensive providers of health services in Maryland. LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and related subsidiaries and affiliates. For more information, visit lbhstaging22.lifebridgehealth.org

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