The Christ Hospital Health Network is the first facility in the region to successfully implant a new miniaturized, wireless sensor in a heart failure patient. The CardioMEMS HF System is the first and only FDA-approved heart failure monitoring device that has been proven to significantly reduce hospital admissions when used by physicians to manage heart failure.
The CardioMEMS HF System also allows physicians to monitor a patient from home. Until now, this data would only be available with an invasive cardiac procedure called a right heart catheterization.
The CardioMEMS HF System features a sensor that is implanted in the pulmonary artery during a one-time, non-surgical procedure to directly measure pressures. Once implanted, the new system allows patients to transmit daily sensor readings from their homes to their health care providers allowing for personalized and proactive management to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization. Increased pulmonary artery pressures appear before weight and blood pressure changes, which are currently used as indirect measures of worsening heart failure status.
“Our heart failure team always aims to advance the level of care available in the region and this is just one more example of our pursuit to improve outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions for our heart failure patients,” said Eugene Chung, MD, director of Heart Failure for both the Ohio Heart and Vascular Center and The Christ Hospital Lindner Center for Research and Education, who performed the procedure. “We’ve always focused on involving patients manage their heart failure and CardioMEMS is a groundbreaking resource taking that emphasis to the next level.”
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5.1 million Americans have heart failure, with 670,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Patients with heart failure are frequently hospitalized, have a reduced quality of life and face a higher risk of death.
The CardioMEMS sensor is designed to last the lifetime of the patient and doesn’t require batteries. Once implanted, the wireless sensor sends pressure readings to an external patient electronic system. There is no pain or sensation for the patient during the readings.
Roughly 1.4 million patients in the U.S. have advanced heart failure, and historically these patients account for nearly half of all heart failure hospitalizations. According to the American Heart Association, the estimated direct and indirect cost of heart failure in the U.S. for 2012 was $31 billion and that number is expected to more than double by 2030.
For more information, visit TheChristHospital.com/Heart or call 513-206-1180.
The CardioMEMS HF System, from global medical device manufacturer St. Jude Medical, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial use in the U.S. For more information, visit www.heartfailureanswers.com.