Page 8 September 2015 By Mark Seifert, M.D. Congestive heart failure, more commonly known as simply, heart failure, occurs when your heart muscle does not pump well enough to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. The result is shortness of breath, especially with exertion or lying flat, and can cause fatigue and swelling. Patients with heart failure are frequently hospitalized, have a reduced quality of life and face a higher risk of death. It is one of the most common reasons for hospital readmissions among those 65 years and older. Approximately 90 percent of patients admitted to a hospital for heart failure have pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lungs). According to the American Heart Association, the estimated cost to treat heart failure in the United States in 2012 was $31 billion. That number is expected to more than double by 2030. Heart failure management has typically relied on patient reported symptoms, impedance, blood pressure and/or weight changes that often manifest only after failure has begun. Cardiologists at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center are implanting the CardioMEMS System – the size of two grains of rice – into a patient’s pulmonary artery via a minimally invasive procedure. The device allows them to measure a patient’s pulmonary artery pressure. Increasing pressure is a sign of worsening heart failure, but provides nearly a month of advance warning to intervene. It’s the first FDA-approved heart-failure monitor proven to significantly reduce heart failure patient hospital readmissions and improve their quality of life. At home, heart failure patients use a portable electronic unit and a special pillow containing an antenna to take daily sensor readings. The readings are wirelessly transmitted to their clinician’s office, where the data is used to proactively stabilize pulmonary artery pressures by adjusting medications. In clinical trials, this reduced hospitalizations between 35 and 78 percent depending upon the type of patient. Staying ahead of hospitalizations is critical to a better patient outcome. — Mark Seifert, M.D. is a cardiologist at the HonorHealth Heart Institute, 9250 N. Third St., Phoenix, 602-861-1168. Visit HonorHealth.com to learn more. New system aids heart HEALTHY TIDBITS

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