Portneuf Heart and Vascular team members celebrate reaching 200 Watchman devices implanted.| Photo courtesy Portneuf Medical Center
POCATELLO — The team at the Portneuf Heart and Vascular Institute installed a Watchman in the heart of their 200th patient on Aug. 10.
The Watchman is a quarter-sized parachute-shaped device. The institute said these devices are a cost-effective solution to heart problems and result in shorter hospital stays and a reduced dependency on blood thinners.
“We’re in a small city, and (we’re) able to do cutting-edge technology that’s being done at anywhere in big cities,” said Dr. Jacob DeLaRosa, a board-certified cardio-thoracic surgeon.
The Watchman devices have been used since the early 2000s, with the Heart and Vascular Institute using them since 2004.
Back then they had to be surgically implanted, but since 2021, the institute has been using a newer version, which doesn’t even require a patient to go to the operating table. Rather, it’s inserted through a catheter.
“Portneuf remains at the forefront of cardiovascular healthcare, working tirelessly to make innovative solutions like the Watchman device accessible to patients,” said Dr. Lynn Otto, an electrophysiologist.
A patient who may be eligible to receive a Watchman has a heart that’s been, “out of rhythm,” most commonly due to atrial fibrillation. This is when the heart’s upper chambers beat out of coordination with the lower chambers, which could cause a blood clot.
Symptoms that could be a sign of this condition are irregular heartbeat, lightheadedness, extreme fatigue, chest pain and shortness of breath.
If the heart starts to beat back in rhythm, the clot could dislodge and go out to the brain, kidneys or somewhere else in the body. This condition increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.
The Watchman is implanted in the left atrial appendage, which is a small, ear-shaped pouch in the heart where blood clots form. The parachute shape prevents clots from forming. It also prevents clots that may have formed there from dislodging and causing a medical emergency.
A diagram showing where the Watchman device is implanted in the heart. | Stock image
Without a Watchman, doctors would treat this with one of the many different types of blood thinners, but there are problems with that treatment.
“Because that also can cause a stroke or cause a major bleed,” DeLaRosa said. In addition to this, he said that blood thinners can also be expensive, and insurance doesn’t always cover them.
When a person comes into the hospital for a procedure, they would have to be taken off blood thinners slowly through the use of a temporary IV, which could last for around five days. Those on on blood thinners who receive an operation could bleed out.
A Watchman device allows people to get off blood thinners, thereby saving time out of the hospital and possibly saving money.
With the 200th installation of one of these devices, DeLaRosa said that it’s “significant that we’re affecting many lives of people here in our community that do suffer from chronic coagulation.”
He said that it’s exciting to watch how much the program has grown and that it’s benefitted the lives of people in the community.
“We knew there was a need in our community for this and that’s why we went ahead and started it, so it’s very exciting to be able to do this (and) provide a service for our community (so that) that they don’t have to travel 200 miles to get it done,” DeLaRosa said.
The post This little device can prevent strokes and heart attacks without surgery — and Portneuf has installed 200 of them appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com
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