The Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute’s transplant cardiologists are adapting to the use of modern monitoring technologies for heart failure patients as technology continues to evolve. There are various devices available for tracking physiological data, either through implantation or wearables, each with its own challenges. The cardiologists must weigh the risks and benefits, especially when considering an invasive procedure for sensor implantation.
“For the patient to comply with data collection and provide the information to the treatment team for action, and more importantly, to prevent hospitalization, they must understand and see the benefits,” says Dr. Iani Patsias, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist. The only FDA-approved implantable sensor currently is the CardioMEMS (Abbott), a small (3.5x2x15mm) device deployed through right heart catheterization and resting on a branch of the pulmonary artery. This sensor requires no charging and communicates with a pillow receptor through Wi-Fi, transmitting pulmonary artery pressure. The Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute has a team dedicated to remote monitoring of patients using the CardioMEMS device.
According to Dr. Patsias, “We can monitor changes in pulmonary artery pressure over time and detect any abnormal patterns, which can trigger an intervention such as increasing diuretics, aimed at preventing decompensated heart failure and hospitalization.” Heart failure is a growing concern, and monitoring technologies have the potential to greatly improve patient outcomes and quality of life. The advanced heart failure team at the Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute is involved in the development of newer sensor technologies, which hold promise for patient care.
“As with any new technology, we need to balance risk and benefit and only use technology that is meaningful for patient care,” says Dr. Patsias. “The introduction of new sensor technology will bring a large amount of data, and it will be interesting to see how AI can play a role in managing population health data and predicting heart failure patient outcomes.”