Heart and Vascular Care
The cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at Main Line Health work together to improve the detection and prevention of heart disease with the latest treatment options.
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, affects your heart's ability to pump blood normally. This can cause blood to pool in an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage, or LAA. There, blood cells can stick together and form a clot. When a blood clot escapes from the LAA and travels to another part of the body, it can cut off the blood supply to the brain, causing a stroke.1,2
In people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem, more than 90% of stroke-causing clots that come from the heart are formed in the LAA.1 That's why closing off this part of the heart is an effective way to reduce stroke risk.
Lankenau Heart Institute offers the expertise and experience in LAAC minimally invasive approaches, including:
LAAC devices are comparable to warfarin in reducing risk of stroke and cardiovascular death.
The Lankenau Heart Institute team is the region's leader in performing LAAC device implantations, helping improve the lives of people with atrial fibrillation who are not candidates for warfarin therapy.
1. Price MJ, Reddy VY, Valderrábano M, et al. Bleeding outcomes after left atrial appendage closure compared with long-term warfarin. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2015;8(15):1925-1932.
2. Blackshear JL, Odell JA. Appendage obliteration to reduce stroke in cardiac surgical patients with atrial fibrillation. Ann Thorac Surg. 1996;61:755-759.
The cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at Main Line Health work together to improve the detection and prevention of heart disease with the latest treatment options.