John Foran MD

AF Symposium 2020

Live Case: LAA Closure with New Generation Device

In this live case Dr. John Foran from Royal Brompton Hospital in London, implanted the Watchman FLX to close off the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) (Boston Scientific). It was in conjunction with several presentations on Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) devices.

The moderator for this live case was Dr. Walid Saliba of the Cleveland Clinic. The Panelists were Dr. Jacqueline Saw of Vancouver General Hospital and Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy of the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute.

Patient History

This male patient with persistent A-Fib had recently suffered a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. He had been in A-Fib for 20 years and had a long history of hypertension. He had a CHADS-VASc score of 4 and a HAS-BLED score of 3. He was formerly on warfarin for 17 years, then switched to edoxaban (Savaysa) for one year when he had his “catastrophic” cerebral bleed. Happily, he eventually made a good recovery.

Dr. Foran would not state that his patient’s hemorrhagic stroke came from his years of being on anticoagulants. He raised the alternative possibility that the man’s stroke could have come from a hypertension bleed. Dr. Foran said he tries to insert a Watchman device as soon as possible after a cerebral stroke.

Patient Drug Treatments

His doctors stopped his anticoagulant when he was approved for Left Atrial Appendage Closure. He was put on Apixaban (Eliquis) 2/day for a short period of time.

As of April 2020, the Watchman FLX device is not yet approved for use in the U.S.

Dr. Foran said, “we always anticoagulate in the lead-up to an implant procedure.” The apixaban was continued through the procedure.

Post-op, the patient will be given apixaban as well as aspirin during six weeks after the procedure. Then he will be on apixaban for 6 months.

The Next Generation: Watchman FLX Occlusion Device

Dr. Foran displayed the earlier Watchman 2.5 version (left) and compared it to the new Watchman FLX (right).

Comparison of Watchman 2.5 (left) and Watchman FLX (right)

The Watchman FLX has a closed cell architecture with no sharp points at the top. The threaded insert is much smaller with less metal visible. (In the older Watchman device, it was found that thrombi (clots) could form on the metal insert visible after the Watchman was inserted.)

The Watchman FLX is designed to conform better to individual anatomies.

Watchman FLX -18 J-hooks in 2 rows

It uses 18 hooks offset in two different planes as compared to the older Watchman 2.5 which had 10 hooks. This allows the FLX to hook deeper into the LAA.

Dr. Foran said the older Watchman had sharp points at the top which meant you couldn’t push it forward very hard into the heart tissue̶-particularly in someone with a small LAA (like this patient).

Because the Watchman FLX is more flexible, he no longer uses the earlier Watchman 2.5 version.

Inserting the Watchman FLX

When the Symposium audience joined the live ablation, the patient had already been prepped in the EP lab. The catheters were already in place in the heart.

Illustration of Watchman inserted into Left Atrial Appendage

We watched as Dr. Foran, using fluoroscopy (x-ray) and echocardiogram, inserted the Watchman FLX into the opening of the LAA. He used saline and color flow for contrast to show where the sheath was.

Dr. Foran showed how there were air bubbles inside the sheath which he flushed out with saline.

Next, he opened up the Watchman FLX inside the LAA. He pushed in the Watchman FLX for 10 seconds to better imbed the device’s hooks. He then tugged on it a couple of times to make sure the anchors were well seated.

To complete the procedure, he then released the Watchman FLX and withdrew the sheath.

Editor’s Comments

My own electrophysiologist (EP), Dr. Shephal Doshi at Pacific Heart in Santa Monica, CA, told me it normally takes him only around 20 minutes to insert a Watchman. The new Watchman FLX appears to be even easier to install.

The biggest improvement in the Watchman FLX, in my opinion, is the smaller threaded insert with much less metal visible. Patients will likely have significantly reduced risk of clots forming on metal, which was an annoying problem that sometimes occurred with the earlier Watchman.

Approved in Europe but Not in U.S.:  In Europe, Boston Scientific received CE Mark certification in March 2019 and initiated a limited market release of the Watchman FLX™ in the European Economic Area (EEA).

In the U.S., clinical trials of the Watchman FLX are under way in 29 U.S. medicals centers. The trials close in Feb. 2021. I expect eventual approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

About 85% of A-Fib strokes are ischemic strokes; this A-Fib patient had a hemorrhagic stroke which is less common.

The Patient’s Hemorrhagic Stroke: Did anticoagulants cause or contribute significantly to this patient’s bleeding stroke?

We simply can’t say for sure whether being on anticoagulants for so many years caused or contributed to this patient’s cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding stroke).

As Dr. Foran pointed out, the patient’s hypertension may have been a factor in his stroke.

But anticoagulants are not like taking vitamins. They work by causing or increasing bleeding. However, they are certainly better than having an A-Fib ischemic (blocking blood flow) clot and stroke.

A-Fib Patients and Hemorrhagic Stroke: Recent research indicates that the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke, particularly in older A-Fib patients, should be considered carefully and can be very dangerous. For more about A-Fib and Hemorrhagic stroke, see my article, Anticoagulants Increase Risk of Hemorrhagic-Type Strokes

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Wednesday, August 26, 2020

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