Am I a Candidate for a Watchman Device Implantation?

As many as 6 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation (AFib), a serious health problem that affects the way your heart beats and pumps blood. AFib significantly increases the risk of developing a blood clot in your heart — a clot that can break away and travel to your brain, causing a stroke. 

While medicines like blood thinners are routinely used to treat AFib, they’re not always effective for all patients. The Watchman® device is designed to reduce the risk of blood clots forming in your heart, thereby reducing your risk of strokes.

At Florida Heart, Vein, and Vascular Institute, we’re a leading provider of Watchman device therapy, using state-of-the-art techniques for optimal management of AFib stroke risk. But the Watchman device isn’t right for everyone. 

In this post, our team offers a quick overview of the Watchman and what could make you a good candidate for treatment.

How the Watchman device works

The Watchman device is a small, umbrella-shaped implant that we insert into an area of your heart called the left atrial appendage (LAA), a tiny sac extending from the upper part of your heart. 

The LAA collects blood as it passes through your heart, and it’s an area prone to clot formation in people who have AFib.  

Once the Watchman device is in place, it expands, closing off the LAA and preventing blood from collecting in it. Device implantation uses a minimally invasive approach, with catheter deployment occurring through a very thin tube (catheter) that we insert into an artery.

Best candidates

The Watchman device is designed for people with AFib, so obviously, if you don’t have AFib, you’re not a candidate. 

But there’s more to it: AFib can involve different areas of your heart, including your heart valves. If your AFib is the result of a valve problem, the Watchman device is probably not appropriate for you.

While AFib can increase your risk of stroke, that increase may be minimal if your symptoms are very mild. Before recommending device implantation, we use a scoring system to assess your stroke risk, so we can determine if the device will be beneficial in reducing that risk.

We also perform a comprehensive cardiovascular exam during your initial evaluation. If you have certain underlying issues, like valve disease or heart failure, you may not be a good candidate — at least, not until we’ve treated those issues.

Finally, if you have AFib that we can manage with blood thinners, the Watchman device may not be necessary. But if you’re unable to take blood thinners due to allergies or other issues, the Watchman device may be a suitable treatment alternative. 

Manage your AFib risk

The Watchman device isn’t a cure for AFib, but it can help certain patients manage AFib more effectively. 

To find out if you’re a good candidate, book an appointment online or over the phone with our team at Florida Heart, Vein, and Vascular Institute in Zephyrhills, Lakeland, Plant City, and Riverview, Florida, today.