Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 22, 2020 02:21PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 35 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 22, 2020 04:54PM |
Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 322 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 22, 2020 11:33PM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
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Mac
Approved by the FDA yesterday.
My understanding is for insurance it requires a CHADS Score of 2, instead of 3 like the old one. I hope that’s true.
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 23, 2020 10:39AM |
Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 783 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 12:57AM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 01:29AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,520 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 11:10AM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
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susan.d
Carey- uneducated question-if one gets this implant which acts like a metal sieve to catch blood clots, what eventually happens to the collected blood clots? Do they accumulate in the fine mesh net until the screen mesh is clogged up with clots? I assume the purpose is to get off Eliquis- so one doesn’t have a blood thinner to dissolve the clots.
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 11:44AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,520 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 11:51AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,520 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 11:53AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,520 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 08:26PM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
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susan.d
Do you want blood flow through your LAA? I guess you do otherwise instead of a watchman they could surgically close off the LAA.
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So there is a possibility of material reaction.
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 24, 2020 09:17PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,520 |
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Carey
Do you want blood flow through your LAA? I guess you do otherwise instead of a watchman they could surgically close off the LAA.
No, absolutely not. My LAA is completely sealed off from blood flow now and has been for two years. That's the whole point. That fabric isn't intended as a filter that allows blood to keep flowing through it. It's a barrier to keep clots in the LAA until your endothelial tissue grows over it, completely sealing off the LAA. My LAA is now just an empty sack doing nothing whatsoever with absolutely no blood flow in or out.
Saying they could just surgically close it off is true, but that would mean a surgical procedure with much higher risks and weeks of recovery. Instead, my Watchman procedure lasted 20 minutes, involved a single femoral puncture, and recovery time was a whopping two hours. After the two hours of lying flat, I was sitting up, eating dinner, and then wandering down the hall to visit with my friend Andy who had the same procedure the same day.
Surgeons have been routinely excising and ligating the LAA when they do heart procedures for many years, but if you're not already doing heart surgery for some other reason, it would be nuts to choose surgery over a Watchman. I doubt most surgeons would even agree to do it.
So there is a possibility of material reaction.
That possibility exists with virtually every invasive procedure there is, including things as simple as dental fillings.
As for the generic, all-encompassing list of adverse events associated with LAA occlusion devices you posted, I don't think such lists are at all helpful without providing the actual odds associated with each. And to be clear, the risk of everything on that list is eclipsed by the risk of driving to the hospital. Remember, there are hundreds of lurkers reading this forum who never post. Try to imagine yourself the scared newbie trying to find information about the Watchman and coming across a terrifying list like that with no indication what the risks really are.
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 26, 2020 05:56PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 35 |
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NotLyingAboutMyAfib
I've seen AN post on Twitter that BCBSTX won't approve current Watchman.
[twitter.com]
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 26, 2020 06:28PM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
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susan.d
You are right Carey but it still can pose some issues to someone. Every drug lists side effects as well but that doesn’t stop those on Eliquis etc. One needs to make an informed decision. I like being transparent and know what risks are possible. Wouldn’t you want to see the list or are you ok with just jumping in to get the procedure?
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 26, 2020 06:48PM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
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Mac
I've seen AN post on Twitter that BCBSTX won't approve current Watchman.
[twitter.com]
That’s a little troubling for those of us who had our LAAs ablated based on the Watchman being available.
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 29, 2020 03:51PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 35 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 29, 2020 05:07PM |
Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 13 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 30, 2020 01:14AM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,368 |
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tmac52
Carey, after your Watchman implant, did you notice any difference in your energy level or endurance? I recall reading somewhere that because closure of LAA results in slightly less blood volume getting pumped to the body by the left atria, that could impact energy level or endurance. If one is considering getting the Watchman (like me), it would be good to know if closure of the LAA might affect one's energy level or endurance, or anything else. Thanks!
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 30, 2020 03:24PM |
Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 13 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday July 30, 2020 04:42PM |
Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 322 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday January 23, 2021 02:25PM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 5 |
Re: Watchman FLX approved yesterday January 23, 2021 08:20PM |
Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 322 |
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Sunny82
Hi Lance, I haven't been on this Forum since 2018. But after having an Ablation that worked for almost 2 years and a Cardioversion that worked for six months, I'm now back in A-Fib and having to take Eliquis and it is causing me terrible side effects,...It's making me very weak and unable to do much of anything without getting out of breath, etc., so I'm considering having the Watchman installed so I can get off of it...but I wasn't aware there are different types of the Watchman. Should I ask my doctor for the FLX? Are they available everywhere?