A St. Vincent's Medical center doctor says COVID-19 doesn't just affect you in the moment but can lead to heart problems.

Dr. David Lorenz, an interventional cardiologist with Hartford HealthCare's Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Vincent's Medical Center, says coronavirus can lead to atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm common in older people that can lead to a stroke. Lorenz says patients will notice shortness of breath and palpitations.

He says the blood can pool or clot in a very small pouch that hangs off the heart.

Lorenz says five years ago, a minimally invasive procedure called a watchman device was implemented, and now he uses it by threading it up the veins and into the heart.

He says the success rate is 99.5% and there's really no recovery.