1. Five years of keeping a watch on the left atrial appendage—how has the WATCHMAN fared?
- Author
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Mohammad-Ali Jazayeri, Valay Parikh, Venkat Vuddanda, Madhav Lavu, Y. Madhu Reddy, Donita Atkins, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, and Jayant Nath
- Subjects
Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Percutaneous ,business.industry ,Atrial Appendage ,Atrial fibrillation ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,medicine.disease ,Surgery ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Left atrial ,Stroke prevention ,medicine ,In patient ,030212 general & internal medicine ,business ,Stroke ,Oral anticoagulation - Abstract
Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is a promising site-directed therapy for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) who are ineligible or contraindicated for long-term oral anticoagulation. A variety of LAAC modalities are available, including percutaneous endocardial occluder devices such as WATCHMAN TM (Boston Scientific Corp., Marlborough, MA, USA), and an ever-increasing body of evidence is helping to define the optimal use of each technique. Similarly increased experience with LAAC has revealed challenges such as device-related thrombi and peri-device leaks for which the long-term significance and appropriate management are areas of active investigation. We review the evolution and long-term outcomes with the WATCHMAN TM device with particular emphasis on the nuances of its use and its role in the broader landscape of appendageology.
- Published
- 2016
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