Jefferson One of the First Hospitals in U.S. to Implant Next Generation Wireless Defibrillator
Allows doctors to monitor patient condition remotely reducing unnecessary hospital visits
Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital is the first hospital in Pennsylvania,
and one of the first in the U.S., to use the latest implantable cardiac
device technology to treat patients who suffer from irregular heart
beats and heart failure. The recently FDA approved implantable
cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) allows physicians more sophisticated
remote monitoring over the internet, cutting out needless trips to the
hospital for those patients who suffer from arrhythmias, heart failure
and those at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
“I
have patients that come a long way to see me,” said Arnold Greenspon,
M.D., director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab at the Jefferson
Heart Institute. “If a patient thinks there is something wrong with
their device it may take some time until we can arrange for the patient
to come in for an appointment. In addition remote monitoring may let us
detect a change in patient condition before the patient is even aware
of it. This new device will allow me to review transmitted data and
decide on a course of action prior to the patient physically coming in
for a visit. Hopefully, we can rule out the patient coming in at all.”
Implantable
cardiac devices such as pacemakers, implantable
cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization
therapy (CRT) devices are designed to treat a variety of problems that
stem from a faulty electrical system in the heart. These problems
include dizziness, fainting, extreme tiredness and shortness of breath.
Other disorders include heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.
The
devices are small, battery-powered computers about the size of a pocket
watch. They are implanted under the skin and connected to the heart via
leads. These tiny wires are inserted into the chambers of the heart
through blood vessels for two purposes: to carry information from the
heart to the device, and to carry electrical impulses from the device
to the heart. The third part of the implantable device system is a
programmer, an external computer located in the doctor’s office or
clinic that is used to program the heart device, as well as retrieve
information from the device about the patient’s condition and device
status that will assist the doctor in treating the disorder.
Check-ups
on normal defibrillators are required every three to six months to
ensure the device is functioning properly. But this new ICD
continuously tests the wire leads that connect it to the heart and
alerts medical staff to any changes or potential problems over the
internet.
Dr. Greenspon does not receive any compensation from Medtronic, the device manufacturer.
Media Only Contact:
Richard Cushman
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 9/24/2008