The Dubai Health Authority’s Heart Team today announced that it has adopted a state-of-the-art technology that prevents strokes by using an expandable implant that blocks off the left atrial appendage, LAA, by angiography.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Fahad Baslaib, Head of Cardiology Department at Rashid Hospital, said the new device has successfully been implanted in six high-risk patients, saving them from suffering from a stroke.

He added that LAA closure device by angiography is a minimally-invasive treatment to prevent strokes caused by blood clots forming in the left atrial appendage in patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeats.

"Atrial fibrillation is a common disease that affects more than one percent of the population and one of its complications is brain stroke. It is common among elderly patients, diabetics, hypertensive patients and patients with heart diseases," he said, adding that the risk increases amongst patients who have suffered from previous brain strokes.

The procedure could be an option for patients who have atrial fibrillation and other factors that increase the risk of stroke, particularly if they have difficult managing blood thinning therapy.

LAA occlusion new research suggests it can lower the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and a history of intracerebral hemorrhage, a group not usually given chronic antithrombotic therapy due to an increased risk of bleeding.

Explaining the device’s mechanism, Dr. Baslaib said that a small implant is led into the body and up to the heart. The size and shape of the appendage is determined, the right fitting device is inserted and it expands to block off the LAA. The implant is then unlocked from the device and removed.