Watchman Device for Treating Atrial Fibrillation (Afib)

The WATCHMAN Device for Treating Atrial Fibrillation (Afib) The Watchman™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device offers select patients with atrial fibrillation an alternative to warfarin to prevent a potentially life-threatening stroke.

Millions of Americans have atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of heart arrhythmia. This population is at an increased risk of stroke—in fact, one in three AFib patients is likely to have a stroke. To reduce this risk, AFib patients may need a blood-thinning medication such as warfarin or other anticoagulant. However, some patients who need blood thinners may not be able to take them because of a high risk of bleeding, which is when the Watchman Device may be an alternative.

The Watchman device is inserted by catheter through a recipient's blood vessel accessed through the groin. It is designed to seal off the heart's left atrial appendage (LAA), a sack-like pouch within one of the organ’s two upper chamber. For patients with AFib over 90 percent of stroke causing clots that develop in the heart are formed in the LAA. A person's heart tissue will grow over the permanent implant in time. The device is available in several sizes to best fit a recipient's body.

Who's Eligible for the Watchman Device? The Watchman isn't meant to be a universal alternative to anticoagulants, with only carefully chosen patients eligible for it.

The Watchman is for patients who:

• Have atrial fibrillation not caused by heart valve problems
• Have been recommended to take blood thinning medicines by their doctor
• Can take warfarin but need an alternative to blood thinners because they have a history of bleeding or a lifestyle that puts them at risk for bleeding

Patients who should not receive the implant include, but are not limited to patients who:

• Cannot take warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel
• Should not or cannot undergo heart catheterization procedures
• Have an allergy or sensitivity to nitinol (nickel and titanium) or any of the other materials in the Watchman device
• Have a left atrial appendage that is too large or too small to fit the Watchman device