St. John's Regional Medical Center First Hospital in Ventura County to Offer Groundbreaking Device for Heart Failure

OXNARD, CA – January 14, 2022 – The heart team at Dignity Health-St. John's Regional Medical Center performed the region's first successful implantation of a heart failure device that uses the power of the brain and nervous system to improve the symptoms of patients with systolic heart failure. The Barostim™ Baroreflex Activation Therapy is the world's first FDA-approved heart failure device to use neuromodulation. This advanced, award-winning therapy was designed to treat heart failure patients who have had little to no success with other proven treatment options. 

"St. John's Regional Medical Center is at the forefront of bringing cutting-edge treatments to the Oxnard community and beyond," says Dr. Ali Sovari,cardiac electrophysiologist and one of the surgeons who implanted the device. "We are the first hospital in Ventura County to offer this innovative device that can improve symptoms and quality of life in patients with congestive heart failure."

Unlike other heart failure treatment options, Barostim does not touch the heart and utilizes an electrode that lies on the patient's carotid artery. The electrical impulses sent from the neuromodulation device inform the brain of the heart's condition, enabling the brain to improve the heart's function. Over time, the organ will regain strength, with the symptoms of heart failure lessening, allowing patients to return to regular activities. This unique technology is customizable to meet each patient's individual therapy needs and offers the potential to improve quality of life and reduce health risks associated with heart failure, including heart and kidney disease, stroke, and death.

"Heart failure can greatly impair a person's quality of life," explains Dr. Karen Quirk, vascular and endovascular surgeon. "Until recently, there were limited treatment options. The Baristom now gives new hope to people living with heart failure."

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. Heart failure patients experience debilitating symptoms, including breathlessness, fatigue, confusion, and swelling in the legs that make everyday activities challenging and significantly diminish their quality of life.

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About CVRx Barostim Baroreflex Activation Therapy

CVRx’s Barostim™ Baroreflex Activation Therapy is the first medical technology approved by the FDA that uses neuromodulation - the power of the brain and nervous system - to improve the symptoms of patients with systolic heart failure (HFrEF). Barostim is delivered by the Barostim NEO™ Generator, an implantable device that uses CVRx-patented technology to send electrical pulses to baroreceptors located in the wall of the carotid artery. Baroreceptors trigger the body’s baroreflex, which, in turn, triggers an autonomic response to the heart. The therapy is designed to restore balance to the autonomic nervous system and thereby reduce the symptoms of HF. Barostim NEO received the FDA Breakthrough Device designation and is FDA-approved for use to improve symptoms in HF patients in the US. It has also received the CE Mark for HF and resistant hypertension in the European Economic Area. 

About Dignity Health - St. John's Regional Medical Center

Founded in 1912, Dignity Health - St. John's Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is a 365-bed, acute care, non-profit hospital located in Oxnard, Calif. Serving Ventura County for more than one hundred years, SJRMC has been named a Top 250 hospital by Healthgrades. As a leader in stroke care, SJRMC is the first and only Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center in Ventura County and is a recipient of the American Heart Association's, Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. Designated as a STEMI Receiving Center,  SJRMC is highly recognized for excellence in cardiac care and has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care by Blue Shield of California. Its Cancer Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. SJRMC is home to the only all-private room, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Ventura County.