THE WATCHMAN™ left atrial appendage implant is a diaphragm that closes the appendage of the heart, the source of deadly blood clots for people with atrial fibrillation (AFib). At Holmes Regional, this is done in a minimally invasive procedure.

Heart surgeons at Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center March 1 successfully implanted the 700th WATCHMAN™ device and became the first on the East Coast between Jacksonville and south Florida to use the WATCHMAN FLX™ Pro.

The WATCHMAN is a diaphragm that walls off the left atrial appendage of the heart, the source of deadly blood clots for people with atrial fibrillation (AFib). At Holmes Regional, this is done in a minimally invasive procedure.

Health First Cardiac Electrophysiologist Vishal Patel, MD, and Interventional Cardiologist Thierry Momplaisir, MD, teamed up on several of the procedures that morning.

“To me, this shows a commitment by the health system to provide excellent care to our community, better options for our patients, and with very little complications,” Dr. Momplaisir said.

“We take on complicated patients who have been turned away,” said Dr. Patel.

Several of the procedures on Friday were guided by intracardiac echocardiography (ICE), an alternate modality when the more common transesophageal echocardiography is sidelined by other conditions.

The breadth of structural heart procedures performed at the Heart Center, along with its reputation for low rates of complications, makes Holmes Regional an excellent choice for many in the region, Dr. Patel said.

“Especially for patients who are high-risk, they should know that we have very robust electrophysiology, valve replacement and heart surgery programs right here in Brevard County.”

READ the full feature in Space Coast Daily HERE.