WellSpan Pioneers Use of Implantable Heart Devices
Implantation of WATCHMAN device
Left atrial appendage with WATCHMAN implant
By Barry Sparks
a catheter carrying the device into a vein near the groin. The Watchman device seals off the opening to the pouch where clots can form. WellSpan York Hospital is pioneering the After implanting the Watchman device, use of implantable devices that prevent the heart tissue forms over and around the device, risk of stroke in patients with an abnormal permanently sealing off the opening. Most heartbeat. patients are discharged after one night in These devices include the Watchman and the hospital and most can return to normal Amulet devices and are designed for patients activity within a week. with atrial fibrillation, when electrical impulses WellSpan York Hospital also is on the that control the heartbeat don’t travel in an leading edge of developing new technology orderly way through the heart. As a result, related to the procedure. In 2019, WellSpan blood may pool in a small pouch in the heart cardiologists were among the first in the and form clots. United States to employ Avail MedsystemsTM The Watchman device is about the size of camera and video technology to collaborate a quarter and shaped like a parachute. It is Dr. Brian Schuler, with fellow physicians doing complex used to close off the pouch, so blood clots can’t cardiology physician at cardiovascular procedures. form. The device is an alternative to long-term WellSpan, specializing in “Avail allows us to remotely collaborate use of blood thinners for patients who have electrophysiology. on a case utilizing live-feed data from the atrial fibrillation. equipment in the room,” says Schuler. The hospital rates in the top 10% of hospitals in the country, In addition to the camera system, the team started to use a 4D based on the volume of Watchman implant procedures. As of CT scanner for real-time procedural guidance for more accurate November 2022, WellSpan York Hospital had implanted 633 and precise device implantations. WellSpan York Hospital of the devices, including 320 Watchman FLX (the latest version established the country’s first 4D CT angio suite in 2019. of the device) and 50 Amulet devices. It was the first hospital in “It was a game changer for us,” says Schuler. “The technology Pennsylvania to implant the latest version of the Watchman as allows us to see the implant device from all angles. It allows us well as Amulet devices. to perform and develop very precise placement. We are the only “These are exciting and amazing times,” says Dr. Brian hospital in the world using this technology.” Schuler, who specializes in electrophysiology or treating cardiac WellSpan York Hospital also is conducting clinical research problems that involve electrical activity and arrhythmia. in the field. It has participated in five studies related to the “WellSpan York Hospital has assembled an incredibly talented, well-trained, and diverse team of innovators who are pushing the Watchman devices and three studies involving the Amulet device. “Our team works together toward the same goal — improving field forward. We are doing things that most people expect only cardiovascular care,” Schuler says. “We think freely, innovate, from academic university institutions.” and we are nimble. That’s why we believe we can be worldwide WellSpan York Hospital’s team of experts, including leaders in the field. We have an opportunity to change the field, cardiologists, electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, and we don’t believe we should be limited. I’m very proud of our and nurses, work together to implant the Watchman under team.” general anesthesia. Using advanced imaging, a physician inserts 6
Heart Health 2023
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