Scripps Doctors Are First in County to Implant Wireless Heart Failure Monitor Post FDA Approval

Doctors at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have become the first in San Diego County to implant a new miniaturized, wireless sensor directly into the heart of patients to manage heart failure following its regulatory approval last May. The CardioMEMS HF System, implanted in three patients by Scripps cardiovascular disease specialists, is the first and only FDA-approved heart failure monitoring device that has been proved to significantly reduce hospital admissions when used by physicians to manage the potentially fatal condition.

The system features a sensor that is implanted in the pulmonary artery during a non-surgical procedure to directly measure pulmonary artery pressure. Increased artery pressures appear first, before weight and blood pressure changes that are often used as indirect measures of worsening heart failure. The new system allows patients to transmit daily sensor readings from their homes to their health care providers, allowing for personalized and proactive management to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization.

“The procedures performed on Jan. 7 with this technology are just the latest examples of Scripps striving to provide the best treatment available and improve outcomes for our heart failure patients,” said Steven Higgins, MD, chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Scripps Memorial La Jolla, who performed one of the implants.

“These procedures also demonstrate Scripps’ commitment to investing in innovative medical technology and solutions for successful patient outcomes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure,” he said.

Heart failure occurs when pressures inside the heart increase and produce symptoms such as shortness of breath and lower extremity swelling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5.1 million people in the United States have heart failure, with 670,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Patients with heart failure frequently are hospitalized, have a reduced quality of life and face a higher risk of death.

Sally Wedehase, a resident of Canyon Lake in Riverside County, was one of the first Scripps patients to receive the implant. The 71-year-old lived a very active life until she developed high blood pressure and breathing difficulty. “I was like the Energizer bunny and I had just one speed,” Wedehase said. She visited her doctor when she began having shortness of breath and edema, swelling from a buildup of fluid in her body. In January 2013, she was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart failure.

While on vacation with her husband last fall, Wedehase once again struggled to breathe. At a subsequent appointment with her doctor, she had 1,050 ml of fluid drained from her lungs. Her pulmonologist recommended she see Thomas Heywood, MD, director of the heart failure program at Scripps Memorial La Jolla and Scripps Green hospitals. “I told him that I realize I’m not as bad off as a lot of people, but I just want some of my life back,” Wedehase said. “Dr. Heywood said he could do that. He could help me.”

The night before her procedure, Wedehase marveled at the dime-sized CardioMEMS. “I can’t believe that technology is going to be a part of me and help me.”