NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bobbie Boyd, Director of Public Relations
& Community Outreach
Advanced Cardiac Specialists
Cell Phone: (602) 570-7069 E-mail:
bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com
DOCTORS IMPLANT NEW HEART DEVICE THAT MAY PREVENT
STROKES
Mesa, Arizona (December
22, 2005) - The statistics are startling:
·
Atrial fibrillation
(irregular, disorganized electrical activity of the upper chambers of the
heart) is the most commonly diagnosed heart rhythm disorder and affects over 5
million people worldwide.
·
There are an estimated 2.2 million people in the United
States with atrial fibrillation (AF); this number is expected to double within
20 years as the population ages.
·
Approximately 70% of these individuals are between 65 and 85 years of
age.
·
Stroke is the most devastating complication of AF. In fact, it is the leading cause of stroke
in older women.
·
The American Heart Association blames AF for about 20% of all
strokes. AF accounts for one out of
four strokes in the elderly.
·
The left atrial appendage, a
remnant of the original embryonic left atrium (upper chamber of the heart), is
believed to be responsible for over 90% of clots causing strokes in patients
with atrial fibrillation. These strokes tend
to be more severe due to the larger size of the clot.
Despite these ominous
statistics, the general public is, by and large, unaware of the existence and
seriousness of AF. When the heart beats
too fast and irregularly due to AF, blood can pool and form a clot in the left
atrial appendage, a pouch about the size of a thumb just off of the left upper
chamber of the heart. Resulting clots
tend to be larger and can cause a life-threatening stroke.
Current treatment
options, including the life-long use of blood thinners such as warfarin, carry
significant risk. A new device
available through a FDA-approved U.S. clinical research trial, can be placed
non-surgically within the left atrium to close off the appendage and prevent
clots from forming in this area of the heart, thus reducing the incidence of
strokes arising from the left atrial appendage.
On December 16, 2005
Robert M. Siegel, M.D., Medical Director and Chief of Cardiovascular Services
at Advanced Cardiac Specialists (ACS), and Ashok Garg, M.D., Electrophysiologist
with ACS, performed the first procedure in Arizona using the new device at Mesa
General Hospital. Advanced Cardiac
Specialists is the only research site of record for this device in the state
and one of five sites in the entire southwestern United States.
The procedure was
performed in the ACS Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Mesa General
Hospital, using a catheter inserted through a small incision in the groin. Precise measurements were taken prior to the
procedure to determine the device size and proposed placement. The device was then inserted through the
catheter, placed, and expanded to completely close off the left atrial
appendage. The patient was discharged
after an uneventful overnight hospital stay.
The WATCHMAN® left atrial appendage system is made of nitinol (a self expanding
metal) with the atrial facing surface covered with a thin permeable polyester
material. The device is constrained within a catheter until delivery in
the left atrial appendage (LAA) and is available in multiple sizes to
accommodate the unique anatomy of each patient.
For
additional information on whether you may be eligible to participate in this
research trial, contact Advanced Cardiac Specialists, a statewide network of
Cardiology and Internal Medicine physicians based in Phoenix, at: (480)
926-6990.