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Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: 5 days ago | Replies (6)
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The device, a 'watchman', is a device implanted in the left atrial appendage, not into the ventricle...as far as I know. It's role is to cause endothelial tissue in this grotto-like knob at the extreme upper left of the left atrium to grow into and around it, thus effectively 'mortaring' off the access of blood to that appendage. The appendage presents the greatest risk of clotting because blood flows poorly inside of it at the best of times. When in an SVT like atrial fibrillation (AF), the blood circulates even more poorly and can even begin to clot. A clot dislodged from the LAA and into the flow can find its way into the heart's own blood supply, into the lungs, or into the brain. Whichever place it gets to first, it's bad news.