WATCHMAN: A One-Time Implant that Helps Reduce AFib Stroke Risk
People with atrial fibrillation (AFib) have a five times greater stroke risk than those who do not have the condition. Many people with AFib struggle to stay on blood-thinning medications due to the required monitoring, lifestyle limitations and bleeding risks.
The Christ Hospital was the first in Greater Cincinnati to introduce a minimally invasive treatment called The Watchman to reduce the risk of AFib-related stroke without using anticoagulation drugs, or blood thinners.
The next-generation Watchman FLX is about the size of a coin. The device is inserted through a catheter into the specific area of the heart most often responsible for clots that cause stroke.
The one-time procedure effectively "seals off" this area and prevents stroke-causing blood clots from entering the bloodstream. The Watchman procedure is covered by Medicare and many other health insurance providers.
Is WATCHMAN Right for You?
If you have a history of bleeding or a lifestyle, occupation or condition that puts you at risk for bleeding, WATCHMAN may be right for you. But like any medical procedure, WATCHMAN comes with risks, so it isn't right for everyone. Your cardiologist will weigh your risk of a stroke against your risk of a serious bleeding problem to determine the right treatment for you.
Want to see if WATCHMAN is right for you?
Greater Cincinnati's Heart & Vascular Experts
Innovative, specialized, comprehensive. We believe this unique combination is what makes us Greater Cincinnati’s Heart Hospital℠ and the only local hospital recognized among the World's Best Hospitals for Cardiology by Newsweek.
From groundbreaking treatment options available nowhere else in the country – treatments our physicians helped pioneer – to the dozens of subspecialized programs we’ve developed to care for the varied and complex conditions of the heart, our program is truly unparalleled in this region.
