LARIAT Procedure

Treatment

Atrial fibrillation or Afib can cause blood clots to form and lead to a much higher risk of stroke. Doctors often use blood thinners, such as Coumadin, to prevent strokes. However, blood-thinning medications can cause serious bleeding complications; and when blood thinners don’t work, open-heart surgery may be recommended.

There is an alternative called the LARIAT procedure. It has proven very effective in lowering the risk of blood clots and stroke in patients with AFib who can’t take blood-thinning medications.

With the LARIAT procedure, your doctor threads a catheter with a lasso-shaped suture to the heart. The suture is then used to seal off the left upper chamber. This keeps blood clots from leaving the chamber and causing a stroke. Unlike traditional surgical treatments, the LARIAT procedure is completed through small punctures in the skin, so there is a shorter recovery time and less risk of complications.

Along with offering you innovations such as the LARIAT procedure, Mercy is dedicated to providing you with compassionate and complete care – from diagnosis and treatment through recovery and rehab.

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