If you have atrial fibrillation (Afib), your risk of stroke is five times higher than someone with a normal heartbeat. That’s because blood pools in your heart and can clump together, forming a clot. The clot can escape, travel to your brain, cut off its supply of blood and oxygen, and cause a stroke.
The part of your heart where clots are most likely to form is called the left atrial appendage (LAA). By closing off the LAA, a doctor can stop clots from escaping and reduce your risk of a stroke.
How LAA Closure Works
You’ll lie on a table while a doctor inserts a tiny implant into the femoral artery in your upper thigh. (You may have read of LAA implant brands such as Watchman, Amulet, AtriClip or another name.) The doctor guides the implant up to your heart and places it in the LAA, where it stays permanently.
You’re in experienced hands when you receive this procedure at St. Bernards Medical Center, which has provided it longer than any hospital in northeast Arkansas.
Aortic stenosis is a narrowed aortic valve that slows blood flow to your body, forcing your heart to work harder. It can cause chest pain, shortness of breath and other symptoms.
To treat this condition, your doctor may recommend a nonsurgical procedure called TAVR—transcatheter aortic valve replacement. It involves a catheter, a thin, soft tube inserted into a blood vessel in your upper thigh through a tiny incision. The tube carries a tiny, artificial valve up to your heart and places it over your narrowed aortic valve. The new valve lets blood flow freely through your heart.
TAVR is minimally invasive and doesn’t require an incision in your chest. That means you’ll spend just a few days in the hospital to recover.
Mitral valve regurgitation happens when the valve doesn’t fully close, letting blood leak backward into the heart. This can increase your risk of heart failure and cause symptoms that make it hard to enjoy daily activities.
MitraClip is a tiny device that a cardiologist attaches to the valve to make it close all the way. Your doctor inserts the clip into a blood vessel in your upper thigh and guides it up to your heart, where it stays permanently.
You’ll likely go home within one to three days of this nonsurgical treatment.
In some cases, surgery is the best treatment option for stiff or leaky heart valves. Explore cardiac surgery at St. Bernards Medical Center.
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD) are different types of holes in the tissue between your heart’s upper chambers. A PFO can allow a blood clot to pass through your heart, travel to the brain and cause a stroke. An ASD increases blood flow too much to the lungs and can damage blood vessels over time.
To close either type of hole, a cardiologist inserts a thin, soft tube called a catheter into an artery. The catheter carries a small device to “plug” the hole in your heart. The cardiologist guides it up to your heart muscle, places the device and then withdraws the catheter.
This is a nonsurgical procedure, so it involves a lower risk of side effects and a shorter hospital stay than surgery.
