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CRH Heart Team Performs 100th ‘Watchman’ Procedure

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Columbus Regional Health (CRH) Heart and Vascular Center has announced that its cardiovascular services team recently completed its 100th Watchman procedure that treats patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Columbus Regional Health (CRH) Heart and Vascular Center has announced that its cardiovascular services team recently completed its 100th Watchman procedure that treats patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).

The hospital began offering the innovative Watchman procedure in 2022. Cardiologist and electrophysiologist Dr. Albert Sey leads the CRH team.

For those who have AFib that is not caused by a heart valve problem (also known as nonvalvular AFib), the Watchman device offers a safe and convenient alternative to blood thinners.

Approximately seven million Americans have AFib, a condition that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood normally, causing blood to pool in the left atrial appendage (LAA), a sac-like pocket located in the wall of the heart’s top chamber, where a blood clot may form.

When a blood clot in the LAA travels to another part of the body, it can cut off the blood supply to the brain, causing a stroke.

The Watchman, which fits into the LAA, is a small, parachute-shaped device. It is implanted through the skin and is designed to permanently close off the LAA to keep blood clots from entering the bloodstream. The device never needs to be replaced.

To learn more about the Watchman procedure and Cardiovascular Services at CRH, visit www.crh.org/heart.

 

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