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By Andrea Nagel
Approximately a quarter
of all
strokes can be attributed to atrial
fibrillation (also known as AFib
or AF), a condition where the
heart quivers or has an irregular
heartbeat. Patients with AF have
an increased risk of stroke and are
often treated with strong blood
thinners, such as Coumadin or
Warfarin, to reduce this stroke
risk. Now, Kootenai Heart Clinics
Northwest is the first in the Inland
Northwest to use a new procedure
for stroke prevention, providing
an alternative to blood thinners.
Only 100 centers nationwide are
approved to implant this new
device. Dennis Cooke, M.D.,
Timothy Lessmeier, M.D., and
Michael Williams, M.D., make up
the three-cardiologist team that is
currently implanting the Watchman.
H O W I T W O R K S
During atrial fibrillation, the upper
chambers of the heart (the atria)
no longer beat effectively—they
quiver. This quivering of the heart
allows blood to collect and sit in an
area called the left atrial append-
age, causing clots to form. If these
clots are released, the patient can
have a stroke.
“I would say about 90 percent
of strokes in patients with AFib
are caused by these clots coming
from the left atrial appendage,”
said Dr. Cooke, interventional
cardiologist with Kootenai Heart
Clinics Northwest. “Blood thin-
ners can be used to prevent these
clots from forming, but these
blood thinners come with risk
factors of their own, including
bleeding.”
The Watchman Device, a new
tool, is permanently implanted
into the left atrial appendage via a
quick procedure. The device is in-
serted through a catheter from the
groin into the appendage opening.
It blocks blood flow to and from
An Alternative to
Blood Thinners
A N E W D E V I C E C A N H E L P P R E V E N T S T R O K E I N
P A T I E N T S W I T H A T R I A L F I B R I L L A T I O N
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