#222 AFib Stroke Prevention: WATCHMAN, D...

If your patient asks you about a left atrial appendage closure device, what should you tell them?  

 In the latest episode of the Beyond Journal Club podcast from CORE IM and NEJM Group, the hosts will help you: 

• Understand the trade-offs: stroke prevention, bleeding, procedural risks, and medications afterward. 
• Build clinical judgment: weigh which approach may better serve the individual patient, beyond the trial’s headline. 
• Learn from thoughtful counseling: hear how you might discuss the evidence, acknowledge uncertainty, and explore what matters to your patients.

🔹Sponsor: ACP MKSAP Oakstone CME

Use the code "CORE25" for 25% off: https://www.coreimpodcast.com/MKSAP7​

🔹Transcript and Show Notes  

01:09 | What the Watchman is, and why it should work?

05:58 | The checkered history: PROTECT-AF and PREVAIL

09:06 | The plot continues: PRAGUE-17, OPTION, OCEAN, and CLOSURE-AF

12:35 | CHAMPION-AF: the biggest test yet

15:03 | Reading the fine print

19:23 | A local solution to a systemic problem

22:45 | How patients hear about it

25:44 | So what do we tell our patients?

29:52 | Takeaways

Tags: IMCore, Internal Medicine, Medical Education, WATCHMAN device, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiology, DOAC Anticoagulation, Primary Care, Hospital Medicine