Any experiences with Watchman Implant for A-Fib?

For those on Warfarin who find monitoring INR levels a pain, I used to. It involved a drive to a local lab, being poked in my only good vein and a drive home. I didn't know for a few years that there is a home monitor that only requires a finger stick (a little more blood than a blood sugar poke). I've been doing that for a few years now. It's been really helpful when I am put on an antibiotic or other drug that may interfere with the INR. I can do extra tests as directed by my cardiologist without the hassle. I've found it to be pretty accurate and certainly easy to use. Results are entered online or by phone.

@iowafemale

Welcome to Connect, I see that this is your first post.

Thanks for sharing that information, it sounds like a very convenient way to keep track of the INR levels.

Did you need a doctor's prescription in order to obtain this device? Are the test strips involved, like a diabetic testing kit?

Yes, just a doctor's prescription. And there are test strips that are shipped to you by Roche.

My first post. Just joined Connect although I have been a Mayo patient for ten years, since a-fib was diagnosed. I've had two ablations (Dr. Munger is awesome!). The second one three years ago with no recurrence (yet).

I was just in the hosp a few days for observation and then close follow up with several cat scans. Also very close follow up with a neurosurgeon. It has been 4 months and I was without a blood thinner it was just recently decided the watchman was the procedure that was needed I am on eliqui s again for a short time but should not need abloo d thinner when heart heals over the watchman .

Hi Billie,

Because it has been less than a month since the Watchman was implanted, I don't have much to offer in the way of pros or cons on its effectivity. For three years I was on nothing and then on 325 mg aspirin in the last year. What do you do when it seems your only option is to either bleed out or stroke out? Extremely scary worrying about either.

My decision to go with the Watchman was primarily to prevent clots and secondly to give me a little peace of mind from worrying about a stroke. Strokes (not A-Fib related) run in my family. I know what the quality of life is like after suffering a debilitating stroke from watching my aunt and grandma go through it. My primary care physician is happy with my decision as she had been worried about me not being on a thinner.

Your doctor will order a TEE to determine if you are an eligible candidate. The doctor will be looking for clots (hopefully none) and the size of the implant site to determine if the device will fit. Once I passed the TEE, because of my history of GI bleeds, I then saw my GI doctor who scheduled a colonoscopy and upper GI endoscopy looking for any areas that might bleed as I would again be on blood thinners. Two weeks before the procedure I went on coumadin, which was managed by an anticoagulation team that was in contact with me daily. My INR goal was 2.0 to 3.0 and but I never hit that mark. From day one, my INR was all over the place, but luckily after pigging out on leafy green vegetables the day before the implant, my INR went down to 3.0, and just prior to implantation it was a 1.9.

I stayed in the hospital overnight with hourly checks on the groin (incision site) and the stitches were removed the same day as the procedure. The incision site was rather painful that first day, but on the second day, the pain was down to a level 4. All looked good so I went home around noon.

I wanted to share my journey with you, however your journey may be different based on your current condition. I do know for sure that the initial TEE, and going on a blood thinner before and after the implantation is a requirement.

My suggestion to you is to do your due diligence, research, ask questions, and weigh the pro and cons. I even watched the procedure on YouTube...it's amazing what is on YouTube, lol. What had me on the fence is finding out the Watchman can only be removed with open heart surgery. I pray that it never comes to that. Because I felt that I had really pushed my luck for four years without any treatment for the A-Fib, I decided I had to do something and for me the pros won.

My thought are if my body would/could tolerate the thinners I would stay on them, even with the dangers involved. I'm an advocate for "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I was doing fine on coumadin for 14 years then I switched to Pradaxa simply to avoid having to go for PT/INR testing. That's when I ran into low hemogloblin and GI bleed problems. So far I haven't had any problems with the Eliquis and should be off of them in another 25 days.

Regards,
Mary