Heart failure is a common condition that contributes to a common problem.
“Some of these patients are readmitted to the hospital two, three, and four times a year,” Steven Krause, DO, MHA, FACOI, cardiologist, Blessing Physician Services, said of heart failure patients.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Complications of heart failure include blood and fluid backing up into the lungs; fluid build-up in the feet, ankles and legs; tiredness and shortness of breath. Currently, heart failure has no cure. About 5.7 million people in the United States have heart failure. It is the leading cause of hospitalization for Americans over age 65.
In the past, the only way doctors knew if a heart failure patient was suffering fluid build-up is if they gained weight, experienced ankle swelling or were short of breath.
“By then, the horse and cart have left the barn,” said Dr. Krause. “By then, the patient is already in heart failure.”
He says new technology in use at Blessing will improve the quality of life of heart failure patients.
The tiny device is called CardioMEMS. It is placed directly into the pulmonary artery during a non-surgical procedure and records the pressure inside the lungs.
“It measures the vibrations from blood flow within the lungs without the use of any batteries or other power supply,” explained Dr. Krause.
The device uses microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
“The vibrations from the lungs are recorded as pressure readings by a sensor in the patient’s home. The information is sent once a day to a website that the patient’s cardiologist tracks.”
“As a person goes into heart failure, pressure in the lungs goes up. If the CardioMEMS reading shows pressure going up, we can prevent a hospital admission by adjusting their medication,” Dr. Krause concluded. “Increases in pulmonary pressures occur before weight gain, swelling or shortness of breath. The CardioMEMS gives me the information I need to intervene earlier and prevent a hospital admission.”
The CardioMEMS sensor is designed to last the lifetime of the patient.
The device manufacture, Abbott, reports that data from a clinical trial showed that the CardioMEMS technology reduces heart failure hospital admissions by up to 37 percent.
Learn more about the care provided by the Blessing Heart & Vascular Center.