Willis-Knighton Health System has implemented the CardioMEMS™ Heart Failure Monitoring System from Abbott. This is the first and only FDA approved heart failure monitor proven to significantly reduce the rate of hospital readmissions while improving the quality of life in patients with advanced heart failure.

Nearly 6 million adults in the United States have heart failure, which occurs when the weakened heart muscle doesn’t pump enough blood to support the body’s needs. Heart failure is a chronic disease that requires constant vigilance by patients and their doctors. It is one of the most common reasons why patients age 65 and older are admitted or readmitted to the hospital.

“CardioMEMS allows us to monitor developing congestion before the patient starts experiencing symptoms, allowing for early intervention,” says Abdul Latif Bikak, MD, heart failure cardiologist with Willis-Knighton Cardiology. “This leads to better heart failure outcomes including freedom from shortness of breath and reduction in hospital admission or ER visits for heart failure.”

The CardioMEMS Heart Failure System is a battery-free system with three components – a small, wireless implantable sensor, a hospital electronics monitoring system and a patient electronics delivery system. The sensor is implanted within the patient’s distal pulmonary artery via a minimally invasive heart catheterization procedure.

At home, the patient uses a small pillow that acts as an antenna to transmit heart rate and pulmonary artery pressure data to a secure website that the patient’s medical team can access. “Regular monitoring from the patient’s home allows physicians to more proactively manage a patient’s care while reducing the likelihood of heart failure related hospitalization,” Dr. Bikak explains.

To be considered a candidate for the CardioMEMS system, patients must have had an inpatient admission for heart failure in the past 12 months and be able to take dual antiplatelet or anticoagulants for one month following the implant.