New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“FALL RIVER, Mass. – Dr. Adam Saltzman, Medical Director of the Structural Heart Disease Program at Southcoast Health with Dr. Ramin Davoudi, Medical Director of Electrophysiology, Dr. Nitesh Sood, Director of Southcoast Health’s Atrial Fibrillation Wellness Program, and the outstanding team at Southcoast Heart & Vascular have completed over 600 WATCHMAN procedures to treat patients with Atrial Fibrillation.
Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by a rapid and irregular heartbeat, called an arrhythmia. According to the American Heart Association, untreated AFib doubles the risk of heart-related deaths, and patients with AFib are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than individuals with a normal heart rhythm.
Southcoast Health photo.
“As the region’s leading heart and vascular hospital, we are proud to have been offering this innovative procedure to those with Atrial Fibrillation for over eight years,” Saltzman said. “Atrial Fibrillation greatly increases a patient’s risk of stroke, a leading cause of death and disability. The Watchman device mitigates stroke risk similarly to blood thinners. This milestone represents the team’s dedication to treating this common arrhythmia and I am so proud of the region leading program we have built here at Southcoast Health.”
This procedure provides a one-time treatment option for patients with Atrial Fibrillation that is a permanent alternative to taking oral blood thinners every day for the rest of their lives. Charlton Memorial Hospital first implemented Boston Scientific’s WATCHMAN device to treat patients with Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) on August 24, 2015.
Today, AFib is one of the most common heart arrhythmias and the CDC estimates that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AFib in 2030.
Southcoast Health photo.
Congratulations to our amazing team on reaching this impressive milestone!
For more information about Southcoast Health’s Heart & Vascular services visit Top Cardiologist Southeast MA | Southcoast Health.
About Southcoast Health
Founded in 1996, Southcoast Health serves communities across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The not-for-profit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals – Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford (a Level II Trauma Center), and Tobey in Wareham, Massachusetts with a physician network of more than 675 providers.
The system has established more than 55 service locations across the South Coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including six urgent care locations, a Visiting Nurse Association, the Southcoast Health Cancer Center, the region’s only Level II Adult Trauma Center and numerous ancillary facilities.
Southcoast Health has been recognized consecutively for six years in a row as a Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospital from 2019-2024 and named a Maternity Care Access Hospital for 2023-2024 by U.S. News & World Report. The organization was recognized as the best place to work for the sixth consecutive year by Southcoast Media Group’s community choice awards.
With upward of 7,500 employees, Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.”
