Pulmonary artery pressure monitoring reduces readmissions after heart failure

The study looked at patients 65 and older who were diagnosed with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III heart failure (HF) and who had been hospitalized for HF in the previous 12 months.

The researchers found that those who were managed on the CardioMEMS HF System—which uses a miniature, wireless sensor implanted in the pulmonary artery—had a 58 percent reduction in all-cause hospital readmissions and a 78 percent reduction in HF hospital readmissions. The device allowed clinicians to monitor data remotely and to intervene with medication adjustments, thwarting clinical escalations that could force the patient to return to the hospital.

"The adoption of this treatment strategy using the CardioMEMS HF System addresses the unmet need within the U.S. healthcare system for hospitals struggling to meet the requirements of CMS," said Philip Adamson, MD, director of the Heart Failure Institute at Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City, in a press statement.

Mark D. Carlson, MD, vice president of global clinical affairs and chief medical officer for St. Jude Medical, added: "These data are recognition of the importance the CardioMEMS HF System brings to heart failure patients burdened with multiple hospital admissions each year and the cost-savings it brings to the health care system."