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New Procedure to Prevent Strokes in Bon Secours, Cork

crochan o'sullivan with his team

The team led by Dr Cróchán O’Sullivan following the successful implantation of 3 left atrial appendage occlusion devices in Bon Secours Hospital, Cork.

New minimally invasive procedure to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation gets off to a very successful start in Bon Secours Hospital, Cork

The left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) programme in the Bon Secours Hospital, Cork got off to a very successful start at the end of November 2018. Dr Cróchán O’Sullivan and team successfully implanted 3 left atrial appendage occlusion devices (Amplatzer Amulet devices, Abbott vascular) using minimally invasive techniques in 3 patients at high risk of stroke. All patients were unable to tolerate blood thinners for various reasons. The procedures were all successful without any complications.

LAAO is a minimally invasive procedure to prevent strokes in patients who can’t take blood thinners because of bleeding issues such as recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding or brain haemorrhages. Following a LAAO procedure, the patient is fully protected against having a stroke even without taking blood thinners. The procedure has also been shown to be very cost effective over the long term.