St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, has announced the first implant of the companys Amplatzerâ„ Cardiac Plug in India. This is the countrys first percutane-ous device closure of the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA).

As part of the technologys introduction to India, Dr. Meerkin, Director of the Structural and Congenital Heart Disease Unit at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, shared best practices for successful procedures with several notable Indian cardiologists. Some of Indias first LAA closure procedures were performed by Dr. Raman Puri, senior interventional cardiologist at the Apollo Hospital Sarita Vihar in New Delhi with the assistance of Dr. Meerkin.

The Amplatzer Cardiac Plug is used to close the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) in patients di-agnosed with non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation (AF) to help prevent blood clots from forming in the heart which may lessen the risk of stroke. The left atrial appendage is tubular-shaped and connected to the atrium of the heart. During episodes of AF, atrial contractions are rapid and irregular, which pools blood in the LAA and increases the likelihood for a clot to form. If a clot is released from the LAA it can enter circulation and potentially cause a stroke. Millions of patients in India are estimated to suffer from AF, of which 75 percent are at high risk for stroke.

The current standard of care is to treat AF patients with anticoagulant medications such as Warfarin, the most prescribed, blood-thinning medication. Warfarin can be difficult to tolerate for some people, and may carry a risk of serious complications, such as bleeding. Implanta-tion of the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug may provide the ability to discontinue taking Warfarin, or other anticoagulants.

The Amplatzer Cardiac Plug is an important tool to help mitigate the risks associated with atrial fibrillation such as stroke, said Dr. Puri. This is especially true for patients with AF having contraindication to oral anticoagulants and also for those who would have otherwise had to have been on anticoagulation medication their entire lifetime with ongoing concerns about bleeding.

The Amplatzer Cardiac Plug is an implantable, self-expanding device made of a nitinol frame. It works by occluding, or blocking, the LAA at the orifice. This helps to keep any potential clots confined within the appendage.

Similar to a fingerprint, the left atrial appendage anatomy in each patient is different. Because of this the device is available in eight sizes and has the ability to be re-positioned to accommodate the varying anatomy.

Like

Dislike

Be a part of Elets Collaborative Initiatives. Join Us for Upcoming Events and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook , connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter , Instagram.