Rhonda Briggs, who just turned 59 years old and lives in Ashland, Mississippi, was the 200th patient to receive Abbott’s CardioMEMS HF System during a procedure at Baptist Heart Institute on April 10. Briggs was also the first patient in the country to go home with the new CardioMEMS HERO PA pressure reader.
CardioMEMS HF System is a remote monitoring platform that measures pulmonary artery (PA) pressure after the implantation of a sensor, which is the size of a paper clip. The CardioMEMS HERO device, which the patient uses at home, is 60% lighter than the previous model and has integrated Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, which allows patients to take a reading where they have a signal. To use the remote monitoring pillow, patients lie on their back, centered on the HERO reader, for about 60 seconds or less to take their reading and securely send the data to their care team.
Briggs said the HERO pillow is “very easy” to use. “There are only two buttons to use. I lie on the pillow for seconds, and it starts sending the information,” Briggs said.
HERO allows clinicians to receive daily data readings. If the medical team sees changes in PA pressures, they will communicate with the patient about any medication or lifestyle changes needed to help slow heart failure progression before a patient feels symptoms.
“CardioMEMS is for monitoring patients who have heart failure,” said Dr. Dmitry Yaranov, program director of Advanced Heart Failure, Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support for Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. “When you have heart failure, pressure in your lungs and heart can go up. When you have those elevations in pressure, it’s the first sign that something is coming up before other symptoms appear like weight and blood pressure changes. If we see these pulmonary artery pressure elevations early, it can help keep patients out of the hospital and at home with their loved ones.”
With CardioMEMS, Briggs reports feeling more confident, and she’s happy with her decision to get it.
“I have not had any problems. The procedure was smooth and everybody was so helpful,” Briggs said. “It’s a simple procedure. I was a little worried, but the staff got me through it. I would say if it were recommended, go for it.”
