Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital is to introduce the latest stroke-preventing cardiac implant, through Althea’s Consumable Management Service (CMS).
Background
Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects more than 1 million people in the UK. According to clinical data, more than 90% of stroke-causing blood clots from the heart are formed in the left atrial appendage in non-valvular AF patients. Boston Scientific’s WATCHMAN FLX™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) device is a permanent implant which closes the left atrial appendage in the heart to mitigate the stroke risk.
The procedure to implant WATCHMAN FLX is typically performed under general anaesthetic via an incision in the groin.
Part of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (Leicester’s Hospitals) Glenfield Hospital is one of the first UK centres to implant the WATCHMAN FLX following its CE-mark earlier this year.
Althea is the world’s largest vendor-independent managed service and maintenance provider for the acute healthcare sector. The company delivers a Managed Equipment Service (MES) to many UK and Ireland hospitals, which aims to improve their access to technology whilst managing the day-to-day concerns of running a department. This includes maintenance and breakdowns and ongoing equipment replacements throughout the term of the contract. As an integrated part of the long-standing managed service at Leicester’s Hospitals, Althea also provides a CMS and now manages all the clinical consumables and devices for nine interventional catheter laboratories across Leicester’s Hospitals and the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre.
Working closely with Boston Scientific, Althea was able to facilitate the ground-breaking procedure which took place at Glenfield. Althea supply the device directly from Boston Scientific and track the procedural outcome via their bespoke inventory system.
Company comments
Olivier Lonbois, EMEA VP and GM for Cardiology and Structural Heart, Boston Scientific EMEA said: “The WATCHMAN device has been implanted in more than 90,000 patients worldwide and we are pleased that this next-generation technology has been granted European regulatory approval so that we can offer it to patients and clinicians throughout Europe.”
Source: Althea Group
published: November 6, 2019 in: Boston Scientific, Cardio, Neuro