Percutaneous retrieval of an embolized Watchman device on a papillary muscle in the left ventricle.
Mitra M PatelSourabh PrabhakarCarson OostraP Kasi RamanathanPublished in: Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions (2024)
The use of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) devices have gained prominence as an alternative to long-term anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke and high risk of bleeding. While these devices have shown efficacy in reducing stroke risk, there have been reported cases of embolization of the Watchman device. There are very few cases of successful percutaneous retrieval of embolized Watchman devices from the left ventricle (LV), as many of these cases require open heart surgery for safe removal. We are presenting a case of an 80-year-old male whose Watchman device embolized to the LV and was entrapped on the LV papillary muscle that was then successfully retrieved via percutaneous methods, which shows the percutaneous options remain a viable strategy to retrieve LAAO devices from the LV.
Keyphrases
- left atrial appendage
- atrial fibrillation
- minimally invasive
- catheter ablation
- ultrasound guided
- radiofrequency ablation
- heart failure
- percutaneous coronary intervention
- pulmonary hypertension
- skeletal muscle
- pulmonary artery
- mitral valve
- stem cells
- coronary artery bypass
- pulmonary arterial hypertension
- venous thromboembolism
- acute coronary syndrome
- left ventricular
- clear cell
- bone marrow