X-Message-Number: 14981 From: <> Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:47:59 +0100 (CET) Subject: Implant monitors heart online From Alabama Live, http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/Nov2000/16-heart.html - Implant monitors heart online DAVE PARKS News staff writer 11/16/00 Researchers at UAB are studying an implant that allows a doctor to check a patient's heart over the Internet. The system is so effective that Dr. Robert Bourge, director of UAB's division of cardiovascular disease, reported he was able to connect one heart patient's shortness of breath with eating salty Chinese food. Bourge discussed the study, which is being conducted at 10 medical centers including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Wednesday at the American Heart Association's 73rd annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. The small device, called the Chronicle, is implanted in the chest. It monitors pressures on the left and right sides of the heart and in arteries going to the lungs. This is critical because these pressures rise when fluid builds up in the body, causing a reaction that can damage the heart. Thus, people with heart disease are often restricted to low-salt diets because salt retains fluid in their bodies. A patient with the Chronicle implant waves a wand containing a computer chip over the chest. The computer gathers information from the implant, and the patient sends the data by telephone to a secure Internet site. A doctor goes to the site and checks on the patient's heart function. One of the biggest advantages of the Chronicle is its ability to continuously sense and collect unique and valuable information," Bourge said in a prepared statement. This is such a milestone because it allows us to continuously monitor the patient at home; and if their pressures go up, we can intervene with adjustments in medication before hospitalization is necessary." Citing an example of its effectiveness, Bourge said one of his patients was suffering from shortness of breath every Sunday morning. A readout from the patient's implant showed a jump in pressure that indicated a buildup of fluid. We were able to determine that he and his girlfriend were eating Chinese food every Saturday night, which has a very high sodium content and caused the retention of fluid," Bourge said. The Chronicle is being developed by Medtronic Inc. It is part of a system to help people suffering from advanced heart failure. A study of the implant's accuracy and safety started in 1999; further study is expected to begin in 2001. Last year, Medtronic announced the premarket approval by the Food and Drug Administration of an implantable defibrillator to monitor, detect and treat abnormally fast heart rhythms. 2000 The Birmingham News. Used with permission. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=14981