Mercy Health – Springfield, which provides advanced, quality and compassionate care in its neighborhood through its care network, announces that it will begin offering the Watchman device – a revolutionary stroke prevention treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation, or AFib.
This condition causes the left atrium to quiver, allowing clots to form in the left appendix, a small pouch that sits in the muscular wall in the upper left chamber of the heart. The clots that form there are at risk of dislodging and traveling to the brain, which can cause a stroke. The Watchman device, which is shaped like a jellyfish, prevents clots from forming, protecting stroke patients.
“Knowing that your health condition puts you at greater risk of stroke takes you and your family out of peace of mind. The Watchman can restore that in patients for whom anticoagulants are not an option,” said Lori Blanton-Baugh, director of cardiology at Mercy Health – Springfield. “Mercy Health’s experienced team of cardiac specialists is available to care for patients who need the Watchman device to help prevent clots that can lead to stroke.”
Candidates for the Watchman device include patients who have AFib and:
Cardiologists introduce the Watchman through the femoral vein in a unique, minimally invasive procedure that takes about two hours from start to finish. Most patients leave the hospital within 24 hours and are off anticoagulant medication within six months.
After extensive training, physicians at Mercy Health, Dr. Tariq Rizvi and Dr. Pradeep Gujja, will be the providers that will offer the Watchman procedure. For more information, call 937-523-2205.
