St. Joseph's Now Offering Patients a New Heart Failure Monitoring Solution

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands.

STOCKTON, November 13, 2017 - Dignity Health St. Joseph's Medical Center is now offering a new miniaturized, wireless monitoring sensor to manage heart failure (HF). The CardioMEMS HF System is the first and only FDA-approved heart failure monitoring device that has been proven to significantly reduce hospital admissions when used by physicians to manage heart failure.
 
"St. Joseph's is proud to be a leader in cardiac care, continually bringing new and innovative technology like CardioMEMS to our patients, and elevating the level of care available in our community," said Joann Marks, MSN, RN, director of Cardiovascular Services for the Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Joseph's.
 
The CardioMEMS HF System features a sensor that is implanted in the pulmonary artery during a non-surgical procedure to directly measure pulmonary artery pressure. Increased pulmonary artery pressures appear before weight and blood pressure changes, which 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.
 
"This new technology allows us to monitor heart failure patients closely from home, greatly reducing the need for hospitalization," said Dr. Gurinder Grewal, the cardiologist who performed the first procedure at St. Joseph's.
 
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 6 million Americans have heart failure and 900,000 new patients are diagnosed each year. Patients with heart failure are frequently hospitalized, have a reduced quality of life and face a higher risk of death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that half of heart failure patients die within five years of diagnosis.
 
The CardioMEMS sensor is designed to last the lifetime of the patient and doesn't require batteries. Once implanted, the wireless sensor sends pressure readings to an external patient electronic system. There is no pain or sensation for the patient during the readings. The CardioMEMS HF System allows the patients to transmit critical information about their heart failure status to a clinician on a regular basis, without the need for additional clinic or hospital visits. This provides clinicians with the ability to detect worsening heart failure sooner and adjust treatment to reduce the likelihood that the patient will need to be hospitalized.
 
The CardioMEMS HF System, from global medical device manufacturer Abbott, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial use in the U.S. For more information, visit www.heartfailureanswers.com.  
 

# # #

About St. Joseph's Medical Center

St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 347 beds, a physician staff of over 600, and more than 2,300 employees. St. Joseph's specializes in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services including neonatal intensive care. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY 2016, St. Joseph's provided over $57 million in charity care, community services, and unreimbursed patient care. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health, a system of ancillary care sites, medical foundations, and acute care hospitals serving California, Arizona and Nevada.