Long Beach Memorial to implant world's first device to manage the
heart's fluid accumulation
26 January 2005
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center will implant the world's first cardiac
resynchronization therapy (CRT) defibrillator system to offer automatic
fluid status monitoring in the thoracic cavity, the chest area encompassing
the lungs and heart, in a 74-year-old Carson man on Thursday, Jan. 27.
The new implantable therapy is expected to provide a critical advantage
in managing heart failure, since thoracic fluid accumulation is a primary
indicator of worsening heart failure and often results in patient
hospitalization.
"It's an ideal therapy option for the 400,000 Americans with heart
failure who have dysynchronous beating in the heart's lower chambers and low
blood output that places them at risk for sudden cardiac arrest," says Serge
Tobias, MD, cardiologist at Memorial Heart and Vascular Institute at Long
Beach Memorial. "Long Beach Memorial is always at the forefront of research
for cardiac resynchronization therapy and now, in addition to providing
important therapies to treat heart failure and fast heart rhythms, this is
the first time we'll have early notification about fluid accumulation in the
lungs, which will serve as an immediate warning sign allowing us to adjust
treatment accordingly and hopefully keep patients out of the hospital."
Recently approved by the FDA, its breakthrough feature is the ability to
measure thoracic fluid. Using low electrical pulses traveling across the
chest cavity, the system measures the level of resistance to electrical
pulses that indicate thoracic fluid level in the thorax. Since fluid levels
vary and fluid accumulation is slow or rapid, the ability to measure fluid
status over time provides important insights in conjunction with ongoing
monitoring of other patient symptoms.
Once implanted, this new defibrillator system will provide vital patient
information to physicians who manage the ongoing care of heart failure
patients. In the future, physicians will be able to access data gathered by
the system using the Internet and through wireless transmissions that won't
require direct patient interaction.
CRT resynchronizes the contractions of the heart's lower chambers by
sending tiny electrical impulses to the heart muscle, which can help the
heart pump blood throughout the body more efficiently and reduce heart
failure symptoms. The system's defibrillation capability delivers greater or
larger electrical pulses to treat a potentially lethal heart rhythm, which
is important for heart failure patients who may require more energy to
terminate life-threatening arrhythmias. According to the American Heart
Association, patients with heart failure are six to nine times more likely
to suffer an episode of sudden cardiac arrest than the general population.
Heart failure afflicts 5 million Americans and is the number one cause of
hospital admissions, with most admissions due to fluid accumulation in the
thorax. This fluid buildup often goes undetected until the patient is
critically ill. It is not unusual for patients to require hospitalization or
urgent treatment at an emergency room for severe respiratory distress. With
about 1 million hospitalizations each year for heart failure at a cost of an
estimated $40 billion annually, improving heart failure management not only
saves lives, but reduces costs.
Source: Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
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