The WATCHMAN left atrial appendage closure device for patients with atrial fibrillation: current status and future perspectives.

The WATCHMAN left atrial appendage closure device for patients with atrial fibrillation: current status and future perspectives. Expert Rev Med Devices. 2020 Jun 16;: Authors: Wintgens LIS, Maarse M, Swaans MJ, Rensing BJWM, van Dijk VF, Boersma LVA Abstract INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke. Stroke prevention with oral anticoagulation (OAC) is recommended in AF patients at increased risk of stroke. The left atrial appendage (LAA) is the main source of thrombus formation in AF patients. The WATCHMAN percutaneous LAA closure (LAAC) device may serve as an alternative to OAC overcoming disadvantages including the risk of (major) bleeding. AREAS COVERED: This review will focus on LAAC with the Watchman device for stroke prevention in AF patients. Current status, available literature, clinical safety and efficacy will be summarized. Furthermore, the future perspectives of Watchman will be discussed. EXPERT OPINION: LAAC with Watchman appears a promising, safe and effective alternative to OAC. Ongoing and future studies to consolidate the position of Watchman should focus on comparative safety and efficacy of different LAAC devices, patient selection, various post-procedural antithrombotic regimens, head-to-head comparisons with NOAC, better understanding of device-related thrombus and the role of the LAA in propagation of non-valvular AF. This research may attribute to a ...
Source: Expert Review of Medical Devices - Category: Medical Devices Tags: Expert Rev Med Devices Source Type: research