Device Offers Alternative To Blood Thinner, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Study

It’s no bigger than a quarter, but it can reduce the risk of stroke by 77 percent in people with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, the most common form of irregular heartbeat.

The technology is a left atrial appendage (LAA) closure device called the Watchman that is implanted in a section of the heart. In use in this country for less than a year, the device already has gained acceptance as an effective alternative to blood thinners such as warfarin as a long-term stroke-prevention therapy in people with AFib, especially older adults.

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