Long-term effects of wireless heart failure monitor just released

Dr. William Abraham, director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, has devoted 20 years of his career to researching hemodynamic monitoring and was the national co-principle investigator on the study of the CardioMEMS HF System and the long-term analysis.

"The monitor, which is about the size of a paper clip, sits in the pulmonary artery and transmits real-time pressure readings to a secure website where doctors can review them," Abraham said. "An increase in pressure is an early sign of congestion, so treating these elevations early, before patients get sick, improves lives and keeps people out of the hospital."

All 347 patients in the long-term analysis had moderate (NYHA Class III) heart failure and were implanted with the device at the beginning. For the first 18 months, doctors treating the control group did not receive pulmonary artery pressure readings and provided standard care based on signs and symptoms of worsening heart failure. Then for an additional 13 months, the doctors had access to the sensor readings and made care decisions based on pulmonary artery pressure readings. That's when hospitalizations in the control group dropped by 48 percent. Those receiving treatment for the entire 31 months of follow-up also saw a 33 percent reduction in hospitalizations.

"This is a highly significant reduction that further supports the effectiveness of real-time monitoring and proactively managing our patients," Abraham said. "I believe this treatment will make a dramatic impact in the lives of heart failure patients, and in the costs of managing these patients."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports heart failure affects approximately 5 million Americans and costs the nation about $32 billion per year in health care services, medications and missed productivity.

The CardioMEMS HF device was FDA approved in May 2014. Ohio State University's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital was the first in the nation to implant the device.