Watchman program reaches 50 implants at McLaren Port Huron
McLaren Port Huron has completed its 50th Watchman implant, expanding a local option designed to reduce stroke risk for eligible patients with atrial fibrillation who may want an alternative to long-term blood-thinning medication. The milestone procedure was performed Oct. 27 in the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab, according to a community announcement. McLaren Port Huron launched the Watchman program in March as the first hospital in St. Clair County to offer the procedure for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, or AFib. More: Port Huron cancer center marks 10 years, 7,500 patients Watchman is a minimally invasive procedure intended to reduce stroke risk in eligible AFib patients and may allow some patients to stop taking long-term blood-thinning medication, which can carry risks of complications. "Reaching 50 implants this quickly shows how much our community needed this program and this level of cardiac care close to home," John Brooks, McLaren Port Huron chief medical officer, said in the announcement. "Before Watchman was available here, patients looking for an alternative to long-term blood thinners would have needed to travel outside St. Clair County. Fifty patients have now received that care in their own community, near their families and support systems, and that tells us
