Procedure gives patients with A-fib who can’t take blood thinners alternative to reduce stroke

Patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib) who cannot take blood thinners now have an alternative to reduce their risk of stroke, which is five times more common in people with the rhythm disorder. The non-surgical procedure works by tying off the left atrial appendage (LAA), the source of most blood clots leading to stroke in patients with A-fib. Northwestern Medicine heart rhythm specialists from the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute were the first to perform this procedure in Illinois.

“Traditionally, surgery was required to close off the LAA. Now we have the ability to safely and permanently close it using a minimally invasive, non-surgical approach,” said Brad Knight, MD, medical director of the Center for Heart Rhythm Disorders at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. “This is an innovative method that has the potential to revolutionize the field of stroke prevention in patients with cardiac rhythm disorders.”

The procedure, known as LAA occlusion, is performed using the FDA-approved LARIAT Suture Delivery Device. Doctors access the LAA by inserting a catheter, or thin tube, under the rib cage into the sac around the heart through which the suture to tie off the LAA is delivered. Another catheter is advanced through a blood vessel in the groin up into the heart, and positioned inside the LAA to help guide the suture over the LAA. The outpatient procedure eliminates the number one source of heart related stroke, while avoiding the potentially serious side effects associated with blood thinners. Read more