Watchman

St. Mary is the first hospital in Bucks County and the first hospital in the Trinity Health organization, which operates 88 hospitals around the country, to begin implanting the Watchman device into eligible patients. Watchman helps reduce the risk of stroke in patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation.

What is the Watchman Device?

An innovative new implant, the WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Implant can reduce a patient’s need for blood-thinning medication, such as warfarin, while reducing the risk of stroke dramatically.

How does the Watchman device work?

The WATCHMAN implant works by blocking the left atrial appendage, a small structure in the left upper chamber of the heart, from filling with blood and forming harmful blood clots that can then enter the blood stream and potentially cause a stroke.

In a minimally invasive procedure that takes about an hour, your doctor inserts the WATCHMAN into a vein in the upper thigh via a catheter and guides it to the heart. The device covers the structural opening at the left atrial appendage. Once implanted, the body forms a tissue lining around the device to cover and close the left atrial appendage. Patients must continue to take blood thinners for about six weeks after surgery.