500 patients benefit from blood thinner alternative with UI Health Care
In 2011, University of Iowa Health Care researchers began evaluating the use of a coin-sized device designed to benefit patients who were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Afib) and didn't do well on blood thinners.
Now, UI Health Care has completed 500 left atrial appendage occlusion procedures effectively decreasing the risk of stroke for those patients by 80%.
Protection from a tiny umbrella
The implanted device is an umbrella-shaped filter about the size of a quarter that catches blood clots before they leave the heart. In patients with Afib, irregular heartbeats can lead to blood clots forming in a small pocket of space inside the heart. If these clots are pumped out of the heart, they can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
“Traditionally patients with atrial fibrillation were given blood thinners, like warfarin and newer agents. These drugs increase the risk of bleeding complications,” says Phillip Horwitz, MD, an interventional cardiologist and executive director of UI Heart and Vascular Center.
“For those patients at a higher risk of developing blood clots and bleeding, this procedure has been game-changing because it reduces their risk of stroke without the use of blood thinners,” says Horwitz.
By the numbers
The device, which is implanted during a minimally invasive procedure, traps clots within the pocket and can decrease the risk of stroke by 80%. After 45 days, 92% of patients who get the device can completely stop taking blood thinners. After one year, that percentage goes up to 99%.
UI Health Care specialists have extensive experience implanting these devices in patients whose Afib isn’t caused by heart valve problems.
UI Heart and Vascular Center implants more of these devices than anyone else in the state and was the first to offer the newest version.
