Carilion Clinic heart failure patients have a new safeguard at home

ROANOKE (WSLS) - The CardioMEMS HF System is a new tool that allows Carilion Clinic doctors and nurses to monitor heart failure patients from their home and catch any warning signs early. 

The device that is implanted in a patient is the size of a large paper clip. The patient also has a special pillow and monitor at home that will take a reading from the device daily.  

So far, three patients in our area have had the procedure and it has helped to catch any concerns early enough to prevent a return to the hospital for treatment.

Dr. Stephen Phillips with Carilion Clinic Cardiology explains, "We are the first center in Virginia and the Carolinas to implant this device.  Previous to this device we haven't had a lot of new therapies for heart failure in the last ten to twenty years.  Having this information at hand on a daily basis is going to help us intervene sooner in the process and avoid a lot of in patient hospitalizations."

Read more about the procedure

on their website

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