Munson Medical Center cardiologists offer ‘WATCHMAN’ device to reduce risks
New heart care technology at Munson Medical Center is helping reduce the risk of strokes for certain heart patients with atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeats.
Joe Batteiger, 72, of Traverse City became the first to receive the WATCHMAN device delivered to an appendage in his heart where clots could form and then travel outside the heart and cause a stroke. He had previously suffered a stroke in March 2014 and while in the hospital his atrial fibrillation was discovered. His cardiologist, Brian Jaffe, M.D., FACC, suggested he would be a good candidate for the device.
“I had a couple of meetings beforehand to discuss and go over it. They put me on blood thinner 30 days before the procedure,” he said. “I
Cardiac electrophysiologist Gregory Francisco, M.D., FACC, who helped implant the device said it shows great promise for stroke-prone patients.
“It’s equivalent to the standard of care for blood thinners,” he said. “We’d like to use it for patients who can’t take blood thinners.”
During the procedure, the small device is delivered through the vein in a leg to an appendage in the left atrium of the heart while the patient is under general anesthesia. The device seals off the appendage preventing any blood clots from forming.
Research shows that one third of all strokes are due to atrial fibrillation. Trials with the device show a marked decrease in disabling strokes for patients when it is deployed. Munson Medical Center’s team has already used the device in 12 patients and anticipate 50 - 75 patients a year could benefit from the device.
“Our youngest patient has been in their 50s, most are in their 70s and 80s,” Dr. Francisco said. “It’s for those patients susceptible to stroke and who also may be prone to falls or who experience recurring bleeding in areas such as the intestinal tract. Those are the type of patients who are not long-term candidates for blood thinning medications.”
For the procedure, patients do go on a blood thinner for 30 days before the procedure and for a six weeks afterward until the device seals well in the heart.
Batteiger, who moved to the region from the Milwaukee area, said he was impressed with the care he received from both physicians and staff.
“I had a wonderful experience at Munson. Everybody, the doctors and nurses were great and they explained things well,” he said. “I can’t tell that I have anything foreign implanted in my body. I would recommend to anybody to follow the advice of your doctors who are trained to know the probabilities and outcomes of your condition. Dr. Jaffe recommended we do it, so I said ‘let’s do it.’”
Learn more about the hospital’s heart services.
Members of the WATCHMAN device team include from left, Benjamin Lannin, R.N.; Catherine Beck, R.N.; Brian Jaffe, M.D., FACC; Linda Minor, R.N.; Gregory Francisco, M.D.; Anne Hepner, M.D., FACC; Michael Howe, M.D., FACC; and Karen Zimmerman, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE.