Reported Reactions

Devices › System, appendage closure, left atrial

Device brand name · System appendage closure left atrial

Watchman Flx Laa Closure Device & Delivery System: medical device reports filed with FDA

281 reports name it, 2020–2023. Manufacturer given most often on reports: Boston Scientific. Product code NGV.

281
device reports naming the brand
0% of all MAUDE reports · about 43 a year
0
reports, 12 months to August 2026
0 in the 12 months before
2.1%
classified as malfunction
10.9% across the product code
14.6%
classified as death, as reported
41 reports · not verified by FDA

281 medical device reports received by FDA name the brand "Watchman Flx Laa Closure Device & Delivery System" (system appendage closure left atrial); the manufacturer given most often on reports is Boston Scientific; received from January 2020 to December 2023. Brand names are as the reporter or manufacturer wrote them, so one product can appear under several spellings.

0 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, and none in the 12 months before. FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases. The event types recorded are injury (83.3%), death (14.6%) and malfunction (2.1%); across all system, appendage closure, left atrial reports (product code NGV) death is recorded in 10.6% and malfunction in 10.9%. Event type is the reporter's classification of the report, not a verified outcome.

The device problems coded most often are difficult to open or close (10.3%), device dislodged or dislocated (4.3%) and migration (3.2%). The patient problems coded most often are thrombosis/thrombus, stroke/cva and pericardial effusion. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Reports by month, five years

01020Sep 2021: 2Oct 2021: 2Nov 2021: 20Dec 2021: 142022Jan 2022: 17Feb 2022: 14Mar 2022: 10Apr 2022: 16May 2022: 14Jun 2022: 17Jul 2022: 6Aug 2022: 20Sep 2022: 14Oct 2022: 19Nov 2022: 14Dec 2022: 202023Jan 2023: 19Feb 2023: 17Mar 2023: 3Apr 2023: 1May 2023: 0Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 0Sep 2023: 0Oct 2023: 0Nov 2023: 0Dec 2023: 12024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 0Apr 2024: 0May 2024: 0Jun 2024: 0Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 0Sep 2024: 0Oct 2024: 0Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 0Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 0May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 0Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 0Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 0Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 0Mar 2026: 0Apr 2026: 0May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 0Jul 2026: 0Aug 2026: 0

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases.

By year received

0911812020: 1120202021: 4820212022: 18120222023: 412023

Event type and report source

Event type, as classified on the report

Death14.6%41
Injury83.3%234
Malfunction2.1%6
Other0%0
Not given0%0

Who filed the report

Manufacturer report100%281
Voluntary report0%0
User facility report0%0
Distributor report0%0
Not given0%0

Grey bar: all 17,328 reports carrying product code NGV. Event type is the filer's classification and is not verified by FDA.

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)ReportsShareShare across product code
Difficult to open or close2910.3%4.2%
Device dislodged or dislocated124.3%3.8%
Migrationthe device moved from where it was placed93.2%4.4%
Material integrity problema problem with the device material82.8%1.6%
Detachment of device or device componentpart of the device came off20.7%1%
Difficult to removethe device was hard to remove10.4%2.8%
Gas/air leak10.4%0.3%

FDA's device problem codes as entered on the report; one report can carry several. Generic codes such as "no apparent adverse event" are left out.

Patient problems coded

Patient problem (FDA code)ReportsShare
Thrombosis/thrombus8530.2%
Stroke/cva5921%
Pericardial effusionfluid around the heart3010.7%
Cardiac perforation72.5%
Low blood pressure/ hypotension72.5%
Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped62.1%
Transient ischemic attack62.1%
Perforation41.4%
Tachycardiafast heart rate41.4%
Cardiac tamponade31.1%
Dyspneashortness of breath31.1%
Myocardial infarctionheart attack31.1%
Air embolism20.7%
Heart failure/congestive heart failure20.7%
Swelling/ edema20.7%

Patient problem codes are present mainly in reports filed since 2019 and are often blank.

In context

MeasureWatchman Flx Laa Closure Device & Delivery SystemProduct code NGVAll MAUDE reports
Reports28117,32826,136,888
Share of that pool—1.6%0%
Classified as death, per 1,000 reports1461069
Classified as injury83.3%78.5%36.2%
Classified as malfunction2.1%10.9%62.3%
Filed by the manufacturer100%99.1%94.9%

Shares are of reports, not of devices in use. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Other brands with product code NGV

BrandReportsLatest 12 monthsClassified as death
WATCHMAN LAA Closure Device & Delivery System4,042359.2%
WATCHMAN FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device with Delivery System3,92313110.9%
Amplatzer Amulet2,54059112.3%
WATCHMAN FLX? Pro2,4161,38612%
WATCHMAN Access System2,081124.5%
Watchman Flx59319018%
WATCHMAN FLX Pro LAA Closure Device with Delivery System454576.6%
WATCHMAN TruSeal Access System716508%
WATCHMAN FXD Curve Access System9731989.6%
WATCHMAN TruSteer? Access System4012609.2%
Abbott26507.5%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data." FDA also states that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product."

Questions about Watchman Flx Laa Closure Device & Delivery System reports

How many FDA reports name Watchman Flx Laa Closure Device & Delivery System?

281 medical device reports in the openFDA MAUDE release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through August 2026; 0 in the latest 12 months.

What kinds of events are reported?

injury (83.3%), death (14.6%) and malfunction (2.1%). "Event type" is how the report was classified when filed: death, injury, malfunction or other.

What device problems are coded?

difficult to open or close (10.3%), device dislodged or dislocated (4.3%), migration (3.2%), material integrity problem (2.8%) and detachment of device or device component (0.7%). These are FDA's device problem codes as entered on the report.

Who files these reports?

manufacturer reports (100%). Manufacturers and user facilities are required to report; voluntary reports come from health professionals and the public.

Do these reports show that Watchman Flx Laa Closure Device & Delivery System was at fault?

No. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data." FDA adds that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report."

How do I report a problem with a medical device?

Through FDA MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 for health professionals and consumers), or to the manufacturer. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Device Adverse Event (MAUDE) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 31 Aug 2026. Brand, generic and manufacturer names are as written on the reports; product code names come from FDA's device classification. A report counts here when any device it lists carries this brand name after punctuation and capitalisation are normalised. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.