Rose Medical Center experts perform LARIAT procedure for patients with atrial fibrillation

Rose Medical Center is now performing a groundbreaking procedure for patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) that may reduce their risk for stroke when they cannot take blood thinners due to special circumstances. The LARIAT^™ procedure utilizes the LARIAT^™ Suture Delivery Device and non-invasive techniques to access the heart and close off a region of the heart known to cause blood clots that can lead to stroke as a consequence of atrial fibrillation.

"This is the first therapy we have had to offer patients who are at high risk of stroke but unable to take anticoagulants," says Dr. Tom Svinarich, Rose Medical Center interventional electrophysiologist. "We can now prevent strokes in patients who are otherwise at high risk of bleeding on oral anticoagulants."

The LARIAT^™ procedure is performed by a team comprised of Rose electrophysiologists - J. Thomas Svinarich, MD, and Christopher Stees, DO - with the support of cardiac surgeon Jason Sperling, MD. The left atrial appendage (LAA) is accessed using minimally invasive techniques and a pre-tied suture loop is delivered. This seals off the LAA from the rest of the heart preventing blood clots that form in this area from traveling to the brain and causing a stroke. For patients at risk for stroke due to AFib, the non-invasive LARIAT^™ procedure offers an alternative treatment for those unable to take blood thinning medications typically used to treat AFib.

"It is important to have a multidisciplinary approach to these procedures," says Dr. Jason Sperling. "When the surgeon and electrophysiologist combine their efforts we have more to offer our patients."

According to the American Heart Association^® an estimated 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib. AFib is sometimes described as a quivering of the upper heart chambers (atria). Patients living with AFib are at risk for blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. Untreated AFib causes a 4-5-fold increased risk for stroke, but many patients are unaware that AFib is a serious condition, according to the American Heart Association^®.