Watchman FLX
Our Approach
If you have atrial fibrillation (AFib), left atrial appendage closure may reduce your risk of stroke. This procedure safely seals off a small part of your heart to help prevent blood clots. Left atrial appendage closure is an alternative to blood thinners for eligible patients.
At Stanford Health Care, we work together to find the best way to reduce your risk of stroke. We offer left atrial appendage closure using the Watchman FLX™ and the Amplatzer™ Amulet™. These devices are FDA-approved to lower the risk of AFib-related strokes.
Stanford Health Care is one of the few centers in the country that performs left atrial appendage closure without general anesthesia and transesophageal echocardiogram. Our approach is less invasive, and you go home the same day.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU FOR LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE CLOSURE
- Extensive experience and promising results with the Watchman FLX and Amplatzer Amulet devices, offering both devices commercially before any other program in Northern California after FDA approval.
- Team approach to reducing AFib-related stroke risk, bringing together top electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, surgeons, and imaging specialists.
- Tailored care for your needs, with our team taking the time to explain your options and the potential benefits and risks of each option.
- Active clinical research program to develop future left atrial appendage closure techniques and devices.
To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-723-6459
Watchman FLX
Watchman FLX is a metal and fabric implant the size of a quarter that blocks the opening to your left atrial appendage. It comes in different sizes, and our team chooses the size that fits you.
With this implant in place, blood clots cannot form in your left atrial appendage, so your risk of stroke is reduced.
In clinical trials, more than 90% of people who received the Watchman FLX could stop taking warfarin once the treatment fully started working. During the procedure, our team:
- Gives you local anesthesia and sedation, so you will be comfortable
- Makes a small incision in your femoral vein in your upper leg
- Guides a catheter through your femoral vein to your heart
- Inserts the Watchman FLX in the catheter and places it in your left atrial appendage, with tiny hooks holding it in place
- Uses advanced imaging to make sure the device firmly attaches and completely covers the opening of your left atrial appendage
- Removes the catheter and closes the incision in your leg
Image of the WATCHMAN FLX implanted into the left atrial appendage (LAA) of the heart
It takes several weeks for your heart tissue to completely close around the Watchman FLX. During these first few weeks, keep taking your blood thinners. Don’t stop until your doctor says it’s safe to do so.
Learn more about Watchman FLX and the implant technique here.
INTERESTED IN AN ONLINE SECOND OPINION?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Our Clinics
Our Structural Heart Program offers expertise in leading-edge, minimally invasive procedures, and open-heart surgery to treat structural heart disease. Together, our interventional cardiologists, heart surgeons, heart failure specialists, and imaging experts provide the most advanced and personalized care.
RELATED CLINICS
3rd Floor, Clinic A31
Stanford, CA 94305
Phone: 650-725-2621
