Any experiences with Watchman Implant for A-Fib?

Hi-- Brand new to this group (today!) and trying to navigate. I'm an 83 yo techno-nerd. I have heart failure and was recently told, VIA echo, that I have leaking heart valves. Further TEE shows I have a heart blood clot, so no operating procedures can be performed. I'm very confused. Can anyone help me sort this all out?

It doesn’t mean they won’t do it, it simply means they won’t do it till they dissolve the blood clot with a special medication. Because of several blood problems, I’ve made 4 blood clots over the last year, one nearly killed me when it went threw my heart and lodged in my right lung triggering what’s call a pulmonary embolism. That’s a very, very serious and life threatening situation.

So with you having a blood clot, it’s probably stuck somewhere in your body. So your doctors won’t do anything to dislodge the clot but try to dissolve it before it damages your heart, lungs or brain. You’re a very, very lucky person that they discovery it before it possibly could have killed you. Good luck. @becky1024

Thanks for your response, Becky. Here's the odd part of all this-- apparently the clot is in or around my heart (it was found during a TEE), and the treatment is blood thinners which are Eliquis and baby aspirin. I already have been taking those drugs and the clot formed anyway. How then can they dissolve it? I'm confused.

Not good news, it just complicates things. One thing my blood problem is my platelets (make blood clot) are to sticky. Since you tried the first line of defense but it didn’t work, now they’ll have to bring out the big guy, TPA. The Thrombolytic drug also known as the Clot Buster. They try not to use it because of its side affect of causing bleeding since the blood (platelets) are less sticky.

If that fails, the only option they have left is to go in after it. I know this all is scary, I’ve been in the same situation twice. Once with the Pulmonary Embolism in my right lung, the other was even more terrifying to me when a large clot plugged up the opening to the stent in my left Atrial Chamber and the blood flow was almost stopped.

Your cardiologist should be talking to you about your opinions because a blood clot can be a life threatening situation. Then after the clot’s been removed, the doctor will have to find out what originally made the clot. My clot’s started in November, 2020, then another in January 2021, February 2021 and the last in March 2021. They worked on the one cause, I was making to much Estrogen hormone and a blood problem. I’m trying not to upset you but having going thru it myself, I know how you’re feeling. Personally, I chose the drug and they kept a close eye on me for any bleeding. I nicked myself with a knife and had to be rushed to the doctor to have s chemical coagulant applied to stop the bleeding. Please take care of yourself and let me know how things turn out. @becky1024

One thing I forgot to ask you, were you given the D-Dimer blood test. Its a simple early warning that trouble from a clot may be in your body. If the results are above 0.5(zero point five) it could indicate you have a clot your body is trying to dissolve. Mine was 3.66 but age can cause it to read higher. Unfortunately, I didn’t need a test to tell me I had a clot in my right lung, the excruciating pain told me that.

Becky, I never heard of this D-Dimer test. I go to the Heart Failure Clinic here in Rome, GA this Friday and I'll be sure to ask about it. Thanks for the heads up. Richard.

If they find D-Dimer in your blood, I believe it indicates your blood has the right condition for making clots. That way your doctors can use that information to determine what exactly is wrong with your blood that is causing you to form blood clots. So once they correct the problem, a D-Dimer test can tell if more clots are forming somewhere in your body. If it is, like me, my doctors ordered a special technology to find where in the body the clot or clots are forming, so they can be dissolved. First they do the whole upper body, then the next scan does the legs. Since your own body defense can dissolve a clot over time, I believe D-Dimer is what is released into the blood as the clot breaks down. Glad I could give you my knowledge. Becky

Thank you for your insight and experience. You're like a newly found support team member, which I badly need. My wife passed last October four days after my birthday, and now I live alone. No family here. That would be OK normally, but then these medical problems came up. Ah, the joys of getting old!!

Let me clarify. Following the installation of the watchman my friend was told he can then stop taking eliquis, that was the problem. He immediately went back on the drug no problems since.

On blood thinners since 2005 with atrial fib, 3 stents, several ablations and cardioconversions. On Eliquis and Tikcosin for a long time. Afrer an extended battle with renal failure, I recovered and took several tests to determine my heart strength. I was implanted with a Watchman 13 September,2022 and so far so good.In 4 weeks I will srart a couple of tests to assure the implant is good - then at about 45 days I may be able to eliminate blood thinners and maybe see an improvenent to my atrial fib.I tnink it is worth the effort. I am 87....