COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A revolutionary device cuts the risk of stroke and could help some Americans get rid of blood thinning medication for good.
It's called The Watchman. Researchers at Riverside Methodist Hospital have been testing the device for years. It is suggested for patients who suffer atrial fibrillation or irregular heart rhythms, and who have complications with their blood thinning medication.
The device is implanted in a minimally invasive procedure. A small cut is made in the groin. Doctors run a catheter up to the heart and insert the watchman.
Dr. Steven Yakubov of Riverside Methodist Hospital says, "Putting the device in the left atrial appendage takes up all the space so that blood can't get in there and form a blood clot.”
No blood clot means less risk of stroke. And the patient can go home the very next day.
The heart eventually heals over the watchman, and stays there forever. It requires few follow up checkups.
Clinical trials show 87 percent of patients with the watchman were successful, as opposed to only 60 percent of patients who take blood thinners. The watchman will go before an FDA panel for approval within the next few months.
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