I have atrial fibrillation, and I have known for many years that I am at risk for stroke because of this.  I have been on blood thinners for over ten years. I am sick and tired of these blood thinners. I have been having nose bleeds very frequently over the past 6 months. Is there an alternative for me?
This is a problem that we see frequently. While many people eliminated the need for frequent blood tests to check their “thinning level” with Coumadin, by changing to the newer blood thinners, such as Pradaxa and Xarelto, they all still can cause some bleeding. There is a new procedure that closes what is called the appendage of the left atrium. This is the area in the heart that is felt to be responsible for the clots that cause stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. While this left atrial appendage device is not clearly proven yet in large medical trials, the studies so far do show that this procedure lowers the risk of stroke.
To learn more about atrial fibrillation and stroke, watch this video from VideoMD.com.
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