Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, but a
small heart implant could prove to be a lifesaver. It's a
quarter-sized device created by Coherex Medical.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Dr.
Brian Whisenant is a leading cardiologist and founder of Coherex
Medical. Recently, he supervised the world's first human implantation
of this potentially life-saving device in New Zealand. He calls the
operation a great success.

"It was quick. It was easy. He went home the next day," Whisenant
said. "It's been about a week now. He's doing great, and we've
dramatically reduced his risk of stroke."

In surgery, the WaveCrest Left Atrial Appendage Occluder is placed at
the opening of the appendage, or LAA.

"As it is unsheathed, as it comes out of the catheter, it expands, and
fills up the appendage," Whisenant explained.

In an unhealthy heart, blood clots easily form in the LAA. If those
clots break loose and flow to a person's brain, stroke occurs. The LAA
is a dangerous breeding ground for strokes caused by blood clots among
people with irregular heartbeat patterns, known as atrial fibrillation
or AF.

In surgery, the surgeon snakes the occluder from the thigh to the
heart. Once in place, the surgeon anchors the device and pulls out the
catheter and implantation tools.

"Over time, tissue grows over this wall and eliminates this appendage
where clots form," Whisenant said, pointing to the implanted device.

American Heart Association Statistics show 15 percent of strokes occur
in people with atrial fibrillation.

"Stroke is the No. 3 leading cause of death in the United States, the
No. 1 leading cause of adult disability," he says. "This affects all
of us."

Coherex aims to prove the device reduces the risk for stroke from 5
percent to less than 1 percent for patients with AF.

"If you're talking about 5 percent of the world's population over age
65, that's a lot of people and a lot of strokes we're preventing,"
Whisenant said.

It also reduces the use of blood thinners, which are tough on
patients.

"I suspect five years from now this will revolutionize the care of
patients with atrial fibrillation," Whisenant said.

Trials in the U.S. are targeted for late 2011.

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