“latrogenic ASD with left to right shunt” and leak after Watchman

Hello all,

I had a Watchman installed by Dr. Natale 15 months ago.

I had TEEs at 6 weeks, 6 months and and 14 months.

They all said the same thing, never changed. My last one from a few weeks ago said:

Interpretation Summary
1. Watchman left atrial appendage occluder device well-seated.
2. Trace leak is redemonstrated similar to previous (< 3mm).
3. Iatrogenic ASD is seen with left to right shunt.”

I’m concerned about the ASD (and the leak too). After 14 months, I had hoped that the ASD would have closed, but it hasn’t.

What’s the prognosis for this? Anyone had one treated? Apparently it can be closed?

What you have is a common occurrence with procedures that require septal punctures, especially with large catheters, which the Watchman requires. They're usually harmless and will usually close on their own eventually. I have one, but I haven't had a TEE since 2019 so I don't know if it finally closed. No one, including me, is concerned about it enough to do another TEE because, as I said, they're usually harmless. People who are born with them often live most of their lives not even knowing they have it and only find out when they undergo a TEE for some unrelated reason.

You can have it checked out further if it really worries you, and they can be repaired with a catheter procedure, but if it had been big enough to set off alarm bells, you would have known. Personally, I wouldn't be concerned.