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Mayo Clinic is first to test and use new device that prevents stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation are at high risk of stroke because blood does not flow properly and gets caught in the atria and especially in the left atrial appendage. The new device, called the Watchman, is placed at the entrance to the left atrial appendage and acts as a filter for blood clots. The device eventually clogs and seals off the appendage, removing the problem of blood pooling there and forming clots that could travel and cause stroke.
They can hurt terribly, are unsightly and very common. Millions of people -- mostly women -- have varicose veins. They swell, bulge, can make your legs ache, and can embarrass you enough that you always cover your legs. The most common treatment is a surgery that literally strips the veins, an operation that knocks you off your feet for several days and makes you uncomfortable for a couple weeks. But a new technology helps patients get rid of varicose veins and get back to work living in about three days.
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