Outcomes 2016 - Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital FY 2016 | Page 47

“Smart Pillow Monitoring” for Heart Failure
Patients: CardioMEMS™
In fiscal year 2016, Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital
was one of the first in Texas to deploy a pro-active, personalized approach for
heart failure patients to help them manage symptoms of heart failure
with a tiny, implantable device, the CardioMEMS™ Heart Failure
System. This equipment – the first and only FDA-approved heart
failure monitoring device to identify early symptoms of heart failure
– includes a home unit and “smart” pillow to alert users to increased
symptoms of heart failure to help them avoid unnecessary medical
visits to their physicians.
“CardioMEMS™ is a valuable component of a pre-emptive treatment plan.
Even with good medications and appropriate dietary monitoring, patients
can decompensate,” says Shelley Hall, MD, a cardiologist on the medical
staff at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital and chief of transplant
cardiology, mechanical circulatory support and heart failure. “Daily monitoring
allows a patient to ‘alert’ his or her physicians about his or her condition,
and corrective action, if needed, can be taken three to four weeks before an
exacerbation of symptoms typically occurs,” she adds.
Mechanical Assist Devices
A ventricular assist device (VAD) is an external mechanical pump that
assists the heart pumping blood throughout the body. These devices are
used as a bridge-to-transplant helping the patient’s heart pump until a
donor heart becomes available. VADs are also an excellent option for
patients who are not candidates for heart transplantation, providing a
long-term solution. To prepare for this treatment, Baylor Dallas provides
training to the patient and caregivers on the information needed to care
for himself or herself and any medical devices at home.
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas was the nation’s
first hospital to receive the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The
Joint Commission for the Ventricular Assist Device program, an
accreditation that is renewed every two years. Director of Clinical Research
for Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support and
Surgical Director of Ventricular Assist Device Program at Baylor University
Medical Center, Dr. Brian Lima recognizes the growth of the Ventricular
Assist Device program. “From both a volume and quality perspective, we
have quickly become one of the leading LVAD centers in the nation.”
VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE (VAD) VOLUME
FY16
71
FY15
0
25
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
We have really come a long
way. Patients with advanced
heart failure have options now
that were not available even
10 years ago. These pumps
not only help save lives, but
improve quality of life. I see my
patients literally transformed, from a state of
wasting and exhaustion, sometimes in critical
condition, return to what they describe as
“normal.” It’s really gratifying. Plus, the pumps
are getting smaller and more durable, and
technical improvements will hopefully result in
less complications too. I fully expect that in the
next several years, we will find a way to develop
fully implantable LVADs with no external battery.
And, because Baylor Dallas is a leading center,
we are usually one of the first hospitals to be
invited to participate in these types of clinical
trials, which means our patients have access to
investigational technologies.
Susan M. Joseph, MD
Medical Director,
Ventricular Assist Device Program –
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas
80
OUTCOMES 2016
45