Should I be Worried About a "Tiny Leak" from my Watchman?

A month ago I had my 6-month check up from my Watchman implant that Dr. Natale put in back in April 2023. I had a CTA chest scan done locally vs flying down to Austin, TX for a TEE. I just got an email today from Dr. Natale's office that they finally had a chance to review my CTA chest scan images and while they noted a "tiny leak" they weren't concerned about it and have given me the green light to stop Eliquis.

Obviously if this is indeed a "tiny leak" that they're not concerned about and I've been given the green light to stop taking Eliquis, I probably shouldn't give it more thought and just take the victory and move on. However, it really bothers me that I have a Watchman that leaks. It's like having a brand new car that has a tiny oil leak. It's kind of annoying.

I was always under the impression that if your Watchman leaked at all, that wasn't a good thing and you had to stay on Eliquis. Apparently, that's not the case. I guess they do have some tolerances for some leaks.

And do these leaks get worse? Am I going to have to have this leak checked now every year? I sent these questions to Dr. Natale's office so we'll see what they say, but I'm curious if any of you with a Watchman have experienced anything similar?

Travis

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tvanslooten
I guess they do have some tolerances for some leaks.

What did your first post Watchman TEE show, and has it changed at your 6 month check? Did they give you the size of the leak in mm? I just had my six month check, a TEE done locally. My local cardiologist said there were no leaks but I will be interested to see what Dr. Natale’s team has to say. I posted the following last May and when checking the YouTube video that I linked, it is no longer available but I had summarized the findings in my post.

Daisy [ PM ]
Watchman: “acceptable” leaks, importance of imaging—latest from the HRS Conference
May 24, 2023 05:18PM Registered: 4 years ago
Posts: 562
I found this interesting as they are narrowing the “acceptable” leak threshold to somewhere between 2-3 mm as larger leaks are proving to be stroke risks. The discussion also covers the pluses and minuses of TEE and CT imaging in detecting leaks, the possible significance of the LAA shape, and ways of mitigating the possibility of leaks during implantation. Also, methods of fixing leaks. [youtu.be]

They don't get worse and they can get better. There's a good chance your body will endothelialize over it and seal it. In any case, if it's "tiny" then it's nothing to worry about.

DAISY - I don't know what the first TEE showed. I admit, I have been lazy on keeping up with my records - assuming all is good and I don't have to worry about anything. I went from a TEE to a CTA Chest Scan so I don't know if a CTA chest scan shows more or less detail than a TEE.

When I have my final CTA chest scan here in May, I'm going to get as many details as I can because I have now been told that I can't stop the Eliquis (see my other post I just made here in the forum about this). They initially gave me the green light to come off of Eliquis but then literally two months later called me to tell me to stay on the Eliquis. The whole thing has been strange. Sometimes I wonder if they are so busy they literally can't keep track of everything.

This whole thing hasn't been a great experience for me. In hindsight, I wish there would have been an option to get rid of the LAA completely like Shannon (owner of this forum) was given. So far I'm not a fan of the Watchman. I think they should just remove the LAA for all patients like they did for Shannon. Then you never have to worry about leaks or having a piece of metal in your heart!

Travis

Travis, Shannon didn't have his LAA removed and he suffered a stroke from a leak.

Sorry , I haven't posted in a long time. I was so sorry to hear about Shannon. Hope he is ok? I would appreciate an update. He was so kind to me while I was struggling with two of Natale ablations & he would call me with addital support-advise. I am planning my 3rd ablation & have come on this forum to get additional information and opinions..Jackie was another big help & hope she is well.

Thanks,

Jake

Yes, he's okay. That happened years ago and he fully recovered.