Mercy Joplin marks 100th Watchman procedure
Jun. 24—When Velma Quin was being pushed down a hallway toward the nearby operating room, the Mercy nurse made eye contact with her and smiled.
"Lady," he said, "you're getting a gift today."
Hours later, following minimally invasive surgery, Quin was the newest recipient of a Watchman device, a permanent heart implant that effectively reduces the risk of stroke in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation.
The 78-year-old Joplin resident developed atrial fibrillation, also called AFib, following a heart attack four years ago. AFib is a quivering or irregular heartbeat — an arrhythmia — that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications, according to the American Heart Association.
"I tell people it's a gift," Quin said of her Watchman device, which was inserted in the left ventricle of her heart during a 4-hour procedure by Mercy Hospital Joplin cardiologist Byungsoo Ko on June 1. "I've been given a gift, and I definitely am pleased about that."
While AFib rarely leads to heart attacks, it can increase the risk of stroke, which is when blood clots block the flow of both oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the brain. With the Watchman procedure, a small, fabric-covered device is placed into a tiny pouch located on the left atrial appendage of the heart; this device intentionally closes off this opening, from which 90% of strokes caused by AFib occur.
The acorn-sized device is inserted into the heart through a catheter placed into a vein in the leg. Not long after, new skin will grow over the pouch, neatly sealing it off and preventing blood from pooling inside, which can lead to the formation of life-ending clots.
Quin chose Watchman over taking blood-thinning medications for the rest of her life because "I didn't want to have a stroke," she said. "I had met with Dr. Ko and a part of his staff, and I was totally amazed at how well they worked together. They really appreciated everything from a team concept. I also liked the fact that the (Watchman) was inside (the body)."
Her brother wears a defibrillator, while her sister has a pacemaker, she said. "It's kind of like the best of both worlds to be able to have a procedure that will keep me from having a stroke, and nobody will ever know about it unless I want them to know," she said.
She hopes to be completely off blood-thinning medications in 45 days; the only thing she'll be required to take each day is a single baby aspirin.
Quin, who worked for years in human resources at the former St. John's Regional Medical Center, said she didn't know anything about the Watchman procedure until three or four days prior to surgery. Likewise, she had no idea that her June 1 procedure was the Joplin hospital's 100th successful Watchman surgery in less than two years.
Because she was the milestone 100th patient, she was thrown a party on the hospital's third floor, where she was given a round of applause and cupcakes were handed out in her honor. During this celebration, Quin received a hug from Ko, the doctor she calls "an amazing person."
She said she's a huge believer of the Watchman procedure now.
"It's certainly something I feel like the word does need to be circulated because it is something that can help people from having a stroke," she said.
During the party at Mercy, silver balloons spelled out "100," celebrating the 100th Watchman surgery. But that number held special significance to Quin. Thanks to the Watchman procedure, which greatly reduces her risk for strokes, as well as her two stints that will keep her safe from heart attacks, "I want to live to 100" and celebrate that moment with a big birthday cake, she said.
"Right now," Quin said, smiling, "I'm just a really happy camper."
