Watchman Heart Device on Guard for Hot Springs Village's Mooney
As Heart Health month comes to a close, it's important to remember heart health all year round.
Today, there are more ways than ever to take care of your heart, including new ways to treat heart illnesses.
Several years ago, Hazel Mooney was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
"They began years ago and they were very violent ones," Mooney recalled.
She says when she was first diagnosed, she says she was scared and chose to not be treated.
But atrial fibrillation puts the patients at risk.
"Atrial fibrillation puts people at risk of stroke because a blood clot can build up in certain corners or crevices of the left atrium with atrial fibrillation," explained Dr. Doug Borg, a cardiologist with CHI St. Vincent.
After moving to Hot Springs Village, Mooney decided she was ready to be treated and met with Dr. Borg.
Because of other health conditions, she was not a good candidate for blood thinners.
Dr. Borg instead suggested a relatively new device called the Watchman, a catheter-delivered heart implant.
"The Watchman device is a small little umbrella-like device which we put invasively into the heart into the crevices where those blood clots form," explained Dr. Borg.
Mooney says after the surgery, she is feeling good.
"I'm so thankful to the Lord that these people have come up with this little gizmo called the Watchman," Mooney said.