The Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center is highlighting its success with the WATCHMAN FLX™ and WATCHMAN FLX™ Pro procedures ahead of September’s National Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Awareness Month.
AFib is a heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat. It is estimated to affect over 5 million Americans.
Individuals with AFib have a five times greater risk of stroke than those with normal heart rhythms. AFib has no cure, but certain treatments, the most common being blood thinners, can manage or reduce a person’s symptoms.
The WATCHMAN procedures offer a lifelong alternative to the use of blood thinners for people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem, also known as non-valvular AFib.
This permanent heart implant effectively reduces the risk of stroke, without the risk of bleeding that can come with the long-term use of blood-thinners. The WATCHMAN can also eliminate the frequent blood tests and food-and-drink restrictions that come with blood thinner use.
The Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center’s Dr. Wissam Gharib was first in West Virginia to offer the WATCHMAN™ procedure and the Mon Health center was the first in the region to offer the WATCHMAN FLX Pro™ procedure for patients.
Mon Health continues to be one of the most active implanting centers in the United States, placing thousands of WATCHMAN devices since 2018. Additionally, as a leader in the procedure, Mon Health remains actively involved in the trials for the WATCHMAN FLX Pro™ device.
“At the Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center, we provide our patients with unrivaled heart care and are always working to increase access to the best devices available to meet their health needs,” said Gharib, cardiologist and director of Structural Heart at Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center. “We are proud to be leading heart care provider in West Virginia and will continue to set the gold standard for care and patient outcomes across the region.”
The Mon Health Heart & Vascular Center is nationally recognized, providing advanced heart care across the region. It is the first in West Virginia and 24th in the nation to be designated as HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), is the first in the state to be awarded Electrophysiology Accreditation by the ACC and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report to its 2024-25 Best Hospitals as a High Performing Hospital in COPD and Heart Failure.
Learn more about the heart care available at MonHealth.com/Heart.
Mon Health System is an integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals in north-central West Virginia. It includes five hospitals — its flagship, Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown; Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood; Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston; Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital in White Hall; and affiliate, Grafton City Hospital in Grafton.
