Dubai Health Authority’s heart team has adopted a state-of-the-art technology that prevents strokes using an expandable implant that blocks off the left atrial appendage by angiography.
Dr Fahad Baslaib, Head of Cardiology Department at Rashid Hospital, says the new device has successfully been implanted on six high-risk patients, saving them from suffering from any stroke.
The left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) by angiography is a minimally invasive treatment to prevent strokes caused by blood clots forming in the left atrial appendage in patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation (irregular or rapid heartbeat).
“Atrial fibrillation is a common disease that affects more than 1 per cent of the population and one of its complications is brain stroke,” he says. “It is common among elderly patients, diabetics, hypertensive patients and patients with heart diseases.”
The risk increases in patients who have suffered from previous brain strokes.
Therefore, this procedure could be an option for patients who have atrial fibrillation and other factors that increase the risk of stroke, particularly if they have difficulty managing blood thinning therapy.
New research suggests that left atrial appendage occlusion or closure can lower the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and a history of intracerebral hemorrhage, a group not usually given chronic antithrombotic therapy due to an increased risk of bleeding.
Explaining the device’s mechanism, Dr Basliab says that a small implant is led into the body and up to the heart.
The size and shape of the appendage are determined. The right fitting device is inserted that expands to block off the left atrial appendage. The implant is then unlocked from the device and removed.
Adopting the latest state-of-the-art technology is part of the authority’s strategy, says Dr Baslaib, which aims to achieve customer satisfaction by providing quality health services in Dubai.
