Boston Scientific’s Watchman heart implant scored better on quality-of-life measures than the anti-clotting drug warfarin after 1 year, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The Watchman heart implant made by Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) improved quality-of-life measures more than warfarin in atrial fibrillation patients after 1 year, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The more than 700-patient Protect AF trial produced QOL scores that were ahead of warfarin for the study’s primary efficacy endpoint (stroke, cardiovascular death or systemic embolism after 1,000 patient-years) in patients treated with the Watchman left atrial appendage closure device, according to heartwire.

But the risk of major bleeding, cardiac perfusion and device embolization (the trial’s primary safety endpoint) was higher in Watchman patients, according to the study.