Innovative procedure helps patients regain control of life

Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of arrhythmia, which affects up to 6 million people in the United States. The Advocate Heart Institute at Illinois Masonic Medical Center offers an innovative procedure for patients with atrial fibrillation, characterized by irregular heartbeats.

Atrial fibrillation can cause blood to pool in the heart and form clots. Because of this complication, patients with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than someone with a regular heartbeat and are traditionally prescribed blood-thinning medications to minimize this risk.

However, life-long dependence on blood thinners could impact quality of life because blood thinners can cause major bleeding. That’s where the innovative FDA-approved Watchman procedure comes in.

A team of cardiac specialists, including electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, and imaging physicians, at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center work in tandem to perform this procedure.

“Our cardiology experts offer a wide range of treatment options for patients with atrial fibrillation, and the Watchman procedure is an innovative addition to our offerings,” says Sorin Danciu, MD, medical director of non-invasive cardiology and section chief of cardiology at the Advocate Heart Institute at Illinois Masonic Medical Center. “This implantable device has been shown to drive down the risk of stroke. It also helps keep patients off blood thinners, which gives patients the chance to regain control of their life.”

Illinois Masonic Medical Center is one of just a few hospitals in the Chicagoland area that offers this procedure.

Most blood clots form in a part of the heart called the left atrial appendage (LAA). Watchman is an implantable device designed to safely close off this part of the heart and block any potential clots from escaping.

For this procedure, one of our specialists makes a small puncture in the patient’s upper leg and guides a long catheter holding the Watchman device through an vein that leads up to the heart. Once the catheter reaches the heart, the specialist releases the Watchman device from the catheter, gently closing the appendage, and removes the catheter.

Since the Watchman procedure is a minimally invasive procedure, patients need less time to recovery and heal compared to traditional open surgery. Patients also typically experience very little pain. The procedure is performed with general anesthesia.

To learn more about the Advocate Heart Institute at Illinois Masonic or the Watchman procedure, please call 773.296.3646.