When thinking of heart failure, it could be a serious and scary topic to discuss. You may have know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death worldwide. Statistically, patients who have been diagnosed with HF have a mortality rate of 10% after 30 days, 20-30% after 1 year and 45-60% after 5 years (Bytyçi, I., & Bajraktari, G., 2015). There are two groups of HF. There is HFrEF which is heart failure with reduced ejection fraction which is a progressive disorder that can cause our heart or cardiac structures as well as functions to deteriorate . It is commonly caused by the left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Most often, there is an absence in signs or symptoms that can display worsening disease state (Sabbah, H. N. ,2017). The second group is HFpEF which is heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is caused by left ventricular diastolic dysfunction where there is elevated left ventricular filling pressure. To clinically determine which HF group a patient is in, an echocardiogram is normally used and if their ejection fraction (EF) is greater than 50% then its HFpEF and if lower than it is HFrEF. In both cases, patients with HF can experience symptoms like SOB, chest pain, palpitations, edema, fatigue and many more (Dr.Samanthi. 2020)
CardioMems Device is a new advanced technology that is used to monitor patients with heart failure. This device is used to measure and record the patient's pulmonary artery pressure (Rakita, V. n.d.). As many of you may know, the pulmonary artery is a blood vessel that carries blood into the lungs. If there is elevated pulmonary artery pressure means that there is more pressure in our lungs which is often an indication that our heart is becoming weaker and is not pumping effectively. It can also be known as pulmonary hypertension (NHS. (n.d.). With this information, cardiologists specializing in HF can make adjustments to medications to better manage and prevent the progression of HF. Some of the common treatments would be to use anticoagulant medicines used to prevent blood clots. Diuretics is very commonly used to remove excess fluid in the body that is affecting the heart pressure and can cause worsening HF (Abbott. (n.d.).
Working at a cardiovascular clinic, I was able to take part in providing care to the patient alongside a group of cardiologists who implanted the very first CardioMEMS device into two patients at late stage HF. These patients constantly endorse SOB(shortness of breath), dizziness, chest pain, LE (lower extremities) edema and many more symptoms that can prevent them from living their normal life. I truly think it is an amazing device because it allows doctors to closely observe patients' condition and adjust their medication accordingly before symptoms appear so that they can have a normal and functional life.
About the cardiomems HF system. Abbott. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.cardiovascular.abbott/us/en/hcp/products/heart-failure/pulmonary-pressure-monitors/cardiomems/about.html
Bytyçi, I., & Bajraktari, G. (2015). Mortality in heart failure patients. Anatolian journal of cardiology, 15(1), 63.
Dr.Samanthi. (2020, December 22). Difference between HFPEF and hfref. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-hfpef-and-hfref/
NHS. (n.d.). NHS choices. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/treatment/
Sabbah, H. N. (2017). Silent disease progression in clinically stable heart failure. European Journal of Heart Failure, 19(4), 469-478.
Rakita, V. (n.d.). CardioMEMS™ device for monitoring advanced heart failure: 5 things to know. Temple Health. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.templehealth.org/about/blog/cardiomems-device-monitoring-advanced-heart-failure-5-things-to-know
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