The Device Provides At-Home Early Warning of Worsening Heart Failure

The FDA recently announced that the CardioMEMS™ implant device, which was previously available for use for heart failure patients from Class III and up (heart failure is stages from Class I-IV), has been expanded to include Class II patients.

Deborah Heart and Lung Center participated in the GUIDE-HF landmark trial, leading to the recent approval of CardioMEMS in class II patients. CardioMEMS is a durable, dime-sized piece of technology that is inserted through a small venous puncture into the pulmonary artery, in a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. The device reads the pressure in the branch of the artery that supplies blood to the lower area of the left lung in order to observe how the heart is functioning. The sensor is wireless, lasts the life of the patient, and is powered by radio frequency energy, with no need for batteries.

Once implanted, the device transmits readings of the patient’s pulmonary artery pressure directly to the hospital’s heart failure team where it is monitored daily. Patients are given a compact portable unit and pillow containing an antenna that receive these daily readings. These data transmits do not cause any discomfort or other sensations to the patient, can be done from the comfort of home and serve as an early notice of worsening heart failure. If pressure readings are out of the specified ranges for the patient, an automatic alert is sent to the monitoring team, who then alert one of Deborah’s specialists so that treatment decisions can be made.

“This technology allows patients to receive early preventative care before their heart failure worsens and they become symptomatic and need hospitalization,” said Kulpreet Barn, MD, Director of Deborah’s Advanced Heart Failure Program. ”The device works without any discomfort to the patient and our team is able to keep an eye on our patients’ hearts without them having to leave their home.”

“Heart failure is a chronic disease affecting millions of Americans and their lifestyles,” he added.  “CardioMEMS however, gives us another tool that can help combat this disease, anticipate if the disease is progressing, and quickly intervene before a patient needs to be hospitalized.”

Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, NJ is an 89-bed teaching hospital that specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, research, and treatment of heart, lung, and vascular diseases. Founded in 1922, Deborah has been a regional and nationally recognized leader throughout its 100-year history, during which time it has healed 2.3 million patients from every corner of the United States and 87 countries in the world. From performing the first open heart surgeries (adult and pediatric) in New Jersey, to running one of the highest volume left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant programs in the region, Deborah has stood at the forefront of medical innovation, all while never wavering from its founding mission “there is no price on life.” Deborah is consistently recognized as a leader in patient care from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ranked among the top hospitals in New Jersey for patient satisfaction; holds a top-tier Society of Thoracic Surgeons rating which places Deborah among the best cardiac surgery programs in the country; and is designated a national Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group. Deborah is an Alliance member of the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute.