Community Health cardiologist first in Indiana to perform WATCHMAN FLX procedure
Community Health Network cardiologist Dr. Michael Robertson is now the first in Indiana to perform the new WATCHMAN FLX procedure.
Three patients at Community Heart and Vascular Hospital are doing well after having the latest technology implanted in their hearts last week. It’s a device that could save their lives by reducing their stroke risk.
The WATCHMAN FLX is designed specifically for patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat. In people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem, more than 90 percent of stroke-causing clots are formed in the upper left chamber of the heart. The Watchman FLX is a small implant that creates a permanent barrier in that part of the heart to keep blood clots from escaping and causing a stroke.
The WATCHMAN FLX is the latest generation of the WATCHMAN technology designed for reducing strokes. The broader updated device allows more people to be eligible for this lifesaving procedure. The device received FDA approval in July.
Community Health Network cardiologists, like Dr. Robert Godley, have had great success with the original WATCHMAN device.
“I like the WATCHMAN because it offers an excellent alternative to the very common, and previously difficult to manage, issue of intolerance to oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation,” Godley said. “We are now able to safely get these patients off of oral anticoagulants while still reducing their risk of having a stroke from AFib. The newest, upgraded version of this device, WATCHMAN FLX, is going to allow us to offer this therapy to patients who previously weren’t a candidate for the procedure, and it’s going to make the procedure safer and more effective for everyone.”