The Watchman™ Cardiac Implant Procedure

• Watchman™ is the only FDA-approved cardiac implant proven to reduce stroke risk for people with Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib) not caused by a heart valve problem who have problems taking or can’t take a blood thinner.
• Salinas Valley Health is the first medical center in the Tri-County area to offer the Watchman procedure.
• This procedure does not require open-heart surgery. The cardiologist inserts a narrow tube into a blood vessel in the upper leg and guides it into the small pouch inside the heart where blood clots commonly form (the Left Atrial Appendage, also called LAA)
• The Watchman device is expanded inside the LAA to prevent blood clots from forming there. This permanent implant significantly reduces the risk of stroke. Most people are able to safely stop taking anti-coagulant blood thinners about 45 days later.
• This procedure is performed under general anesthesia and typically takes about an hour. An overnight stay in the medical center is required.

Meet our Watchman team

HARLAN R. GROGIN, MD
Cardiac Electrophysiology

YUJI SAITO, MD
Cardiac Electrophysiology

Supporting Physicians

STEVEN REGWAN, DO
Cardiology

CHRISTOPHER C. OH, MD
Cardiology

KANAE MUKAI, MD
Cardiology

Jennifer Rodriguez, RN, BSN
Watchman Program Coordinator