MCHENRY – Northwestern Medicine announced that physicians from the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital have successfully placed a WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) device in the heart of a patient to help prevent a stroke and discontinue the long-term use of oral blood-thinning medication.
“The WATCHMAN device is for patients who have atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that is not related to problems with the heart’s valves. This is the first procedure using this device in a McHenry County hospital,” said an Oct. 20 statement from Northwestern Medicine.
The successful implantation was performed by Dr. Tonye Teme, MD, cardiac electrophysiology at Northwestern Medicine McHenry and Huntley Hospitals, and Dr. Asad Sheikh, MD, interventional cardiology at Northwestern Medicine McHenry and Huntley Hospitals.
Both physicians have recently joined the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute to bring additional leading-edge cardiovascular care to the far northwest suburb, according to Northwestern Medicine.
The Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute was founded in 2005 by Chicago real estate developer and philanthropist Neil Bluhm and cardiac surgeon Dr. Patrick McCarthy. Today, it is considered Illinois’ highest-ranked cardiology and heart surgery program.
While the program was only available at some Northwestern Medicine hospital locations, since 2020, the program has expanded to operate at Northwestern Medicine McHenry and Huntley Hospitals.
“Patients are already benefiting from the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute’s expansion to McHenry County,” said Dr. Ian Cohen, MD, FACC, FSCAI, medical director at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine McHenry and Huntley Hospitals. “The WATCHMAN procedure is just one of the new life-changing treatment options we are bringing to patients.”
Cohn added that the program has welcomed renowned cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr. Aqeel Sandhu, MD, to the team to bring an even higher level of cardiac surgery to the community.
“For 15 years, the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute has proven excellence has no boundaries,” said Dean M. Harrison, president and chief executive officer at Northwestern Memorial HealthCare in a Feb. 2020 statement. “Today we recognize achievements of our physicians, nurses and staff enabled by the strong leadership and dedicated support of Dr. Patrick McCarthy and Neil Blum. We are proud to be ranked 7th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and offer world-class cardiovascular care to patients throughout Chicago and from across the nation.”
The WATCHMAN device is used to prevent strokes in people with atrial fibrillation, an arrhythmia (irregular pulse) that affects an estimated five million people in the United States.
Atrial fibrillation is a leading cardiac cause of stroke, as arrhythmia causes blood to pool and form clots in a small pocket-like section in the upper left chamber of the heart called the atrial appendage, said Northwestern Medicine.
Typically, individuals afflicted with atrial fibrillation are often treated with blood-thinning drugs to reduce clotting, however, due to the risk of bleeding out, certain people cannot take blood thinners.
“The WATCHMAN device is indicated to reduce stroke in people who have atrial fibrillation and high bleeding risk who cannot take blood thinners,” said Northwestern Medicine.
“The WATCHMAN device is designed to seal off the atrial appendage thus preventing blood from entering, pooling, and forming a clot. It is implanted by physicians in the cardiac catheterization lab, using a vein on the patient’s upper leg to direct a specialized catheter into the heart under X-ray guidance, positioning the device at the entrance of the left atrial appendage. When the catheter is withdrawn, the device stays in position as a permanent seal.”
Over time, heart tissue will grow over the device, permanently sealing off the left atrial appendage. Most patients can discontinue blood thinners 45 days after the procedure.
More than 99% of patients in a clinical trial were off blood thinners one year after the WATCHMAN implant.
“The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital is helping us bring advanced academic medicine and research to McHenry County,” said Nick Rave, president of Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. “We are now closely linked to the teams at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and use their leading protocols to provide innovative care to our patients. We have also streamlined the care of patients with the most advanced conditions who require advanced cardiac care or other treatment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.”
McCarthy is pleased to offer this advanced medical care to the McHenry County region.
“We have organized this Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute heart team so that we can offer the highest quality care close to where our patients live. Building the heart team at McHenry Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital is another example of our dedication to our ‘Patients First’ mission,” he said.
In addition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the WATCHMAN procedure is also offered at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital and Northwestern Palos Hospital.
To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html.
