Reducing the risk of stroke from AFib without blood thinners

The condition in which the heart beats rapidly and chaotically is called Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib. Almost six million Americans have been diagnosed with this condition. Out of these six million, about 9% of people are over the age of 65. The most common ad serious risk associated with this disease is stroke. To prevent stroke, most patients are treated with blood thinners. The problem with blood thinners is that their usage is risky for some patients. Luckily, there is another tool for treating this condition, and this tool is called an implantable device.

According to a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at Penn State Health Medical Group, named Dr. Christopher Rogers says, “The biggest risk as AFib progresses is the formation of a blood clot in the heart that can then travel to the brain and cause a stroke,” According to him in this condition, the patient’s atria (heart’s top chambers) beat irregularly. This irregularity causes stagnant blood flow. There’s a pouch that sticks out in the left-top chamber called the left atrial appendage. The blood flow is deficient here. He said that if there is something in the atrial fibrillation, that’s where a clot might get formed. 

There are some patients who have an increased risk of stroke. These include patients who have AFib and have other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, and a previous stroke or mini-stroke. Females and people who are over 65 years old also have an increased risk of stroke. To treat such patients, Dr. Rogers uses an anticoagulant, also known as a blood thinner. Patients with high risks of stroke can manage symptoms like a racing heartbeat with other procedures and medications, but they still need to use blood thinners in order to prevent stroke. 

Dr. Roger said that “Some patients have no problems taking blood thinners. Others develop undesirable bruising.” He further stated that “In the worst cases, we have patients with gastrointestinal bleeding who end up in the hospital with severe anemia and needing a blood transfusion.” This has kept all the physicians very concerned about keeping such patients on blood thinners. People who get injured or fall frequently also have risks of using blood thinners, as they have a higher possibility of bleeding into the brain if they injure their head upon falling, said Dr. Roger. 

Although, in many cases, befits of blood thinners outweigh the risks, having an alternative is nice for patients who have a life-threatening condition using blood thinners, said Dr. Roger. 

There were no other alternatives up until the last six years. Now there are devices called Watchman and Watchman FLX that allow cardiologists to protect the patients at risk of strokes without using blood thinners. 

These devices are small and implanted into the heart — precisely where the clots usually form (left atrial appendage). In this procedure, the physicians get access to the heart through a catheter. This Catheter is inserted into the heart through the groin. The appendage is then evaluated to size the device and position it in the appendage appropriately. “Once we’ve confirmed that the device meets strict criteria, we’ll release it from the catheter,” Rogers said.

Patients stay on blood thinners for 45 days. After confirming that there’s no blood flow around the device and no clot, the patient can stop using blood thinners.

Currently, the devices like Watchman FLX ad the Amplatzer Amulet are only approved for use in patients who have to be on blood thinners because of this condition but are at high risk for life-threatening bleeding. Rogers hopes that changes and the patients could choose to be on a blood thinner or an implanted device. As of now, Dr. Roger advises patients to talk to their doctor about the appropriate treatment.

Every healthcare practice needs to cater to the needs of every patient. Blood thinners may harm many patients; therefore, it is essential to use other alternatives for such cases. Coding of such treatments is essential for a smooth medical billing process. If you want error-free medical coding and billing services, outsourcing medical billing services from companies like UControl Billing is the best solution for your practice.