Oct 14, 2009 8:00 pm US/Eastern
New Implant 'Pages' Patients When Problems Arise
BOSTON (CBS) ―
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Researchers are conducting trials on a new implant that pages heart patients to alert them if they have a potential problem.
WBZ
Each year, more than a million Americans suffer from heart attacks. Hundreds of thousands die before ever getting to a hospital, and many patients have no warning signs. But that could change.
Researchers are conducting trials on a new implant that pages heart patients to alert them if they have a potential problem. That way they can get medical help right away.
The technology could help patients like 59-year-old Bruce Fisher who had quintuple cardiac bypass surgery just a few weeks ago. He just went back to the operating room to undergo this experimental procedure that could prevent future heart attacks, reports CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston.
Using a wire, surgeons attach an implant about the size of a pacemaker to Fisher's heart. The device monitors the heart's EKG or electrical activity looking for changes that occur before a heart attack. Fisher, himself, compares it to an OnStar warning device.
When electrical changes are detected, the implant vibrates in the patient's chest and pages them to either call their doctor or head immediately to the emergency room. The device and pager then send EKG information to a computer, advising the doctor of the patient's condition.
Like many, Fisher had no idea his heart was failing. He was healthy, active, and had no symptoms or warning signs. Cardiologist, Dr. Omid Vahdat, who is familiar with the new technology says, "These are people that don't have the natural responses that regular people have. They don't get chest pains or chest tightness."
The implant's maker,
AngelMed, started the clinical trials after hearing from heart patients who were worried about having another attack.
"It can be debilitating where you don't want to leave your home," Nick Nudell of AngelMed says. "You don't want to be far away from your doctor's office. So a system like this can provide peace of mind."
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