People living with atrial fibrillation in the Athens area now have access to a device that significantly reduces the risk of stroke without the need for blood thinners.

AFib causes the top chambers of the heart to beat erratically, and because of this, the blood doesn’t flow properly, according to Kent Nilsson, M.D., cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute of Athens, who specializes in heart arrhythmias. “When blood isn’t flowing properly, it’s more susceptible to clotting, increasing the risk for stroke,” he said.

Several treatment options exist for those with AFib to help reduce stroke risk, including blood thinner medications. While highly effective in preventing strokes, blood thinners can cause a number of side effects, such as internal bleeding.

“At Piedmont Athens Regional, patients with AFib who have increased risk of bleeding now have the option of a simple procedure that implants a device, called the WATCHMAN device, that can effectively reduce stroke risk, without the need for blood thinners long term,” said Khan Pohlel, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Piedmont Heart of Athens.   

The WATCHMAN device offers an alternative treatment for people with AFib when blood thinners aren’t the best treatment option. “The WATCHMAN device blocks the portion of the heart where clots form that cause strokes, acting as a shield that prevents clots from going to the brain,” Dr. Nilsson said.

In order to offer this treatment, Drs. Pohlel and Nilsson teamed up with Ben Holland, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Piedmont Heart of Athens. Together, they developed a multidisciplinary team that ensures that each patient with AFib gets a personalized treatment strategy that minimizes the risk of both stroke and bleeding.   

This is the situation that 75-year-old Phillip Chase found himself in, after he was diagnosed with AFib in 2014.

“When I was first diagnosed with Afib, I was put on blood thinners, but there wasn’t a lot of peace of mind otherwise,” Chase said. “A minor scrape can become problematic when the bleeding just won’t stop.”

Although his issues with his blood thinner medications were initially minor, the situation became much more serious when he developed life-threatening internal bleeding.

“I was admitted to the hospital for a number of days, and my doctor said I needed to stop the blood thinners because they were making the problems much worse,” Chase said. “Unfortunately, I needed them because of my AFib and the risk of having a disabling stroke.”  

Thankfully, Drs. Pohlel, Holland and Nilsson were working on bringing the WATCHMAN procedure to the Athens area at this time.

“Because of Mr. Chase’s internal bleeding, our team felt he shouldn’t continue to take blood thinners and should consider WATCHMAN.  Eight months ago, he became the first patient to receive the WATCHMAN device at Piedmont Athens Regional,” Dr. Pohlel said.

Since Chase underwent the procedure, he’s been able to stop taking the blood thinners altogether.

“The procedure went extremely well, and there was tremendous follow up. I’ve been able to get off of those blood thinners, which has been very impactful for me and my family,” Chase said.