Keck doctors first to implant new heart device

Last Wednesday, doctors at the Keck School of Medicine of USC became the first medical practitioners in Southern California to implant the CardioMEMS Heart Failure System in a patient since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

CardioMEMS is small wireless device placed in a recipient’s pulmonary artery that enables those suffering from heart disease to independently track and monitor their illness.

Dr. David Shavelle, associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, implanted the device in 71-year-old Alfredo Delatorre of La Puente, California. Shavelle, who called the device a “game changer,” told PR Newswire that traditional methods of monitoring heart disease can be unreliable in predicting future incidents compared to CardioMEMS.

“Before this device, we made medication changes based upon a patient’s symptoms and changes in their weight. Changes in pressures within the heart often occur prior to the onset of a patient’s symptoms,” Shavelle told PR Newswire.

The CardioMEMS system, designed by St. Jude Medical, requires minimally invasive surgery.

A special pillow embedded with a transmitter allows patients to log daily readings of their blood pressure and heart data. Both patients and physicians can access these readings electronically through a secure website.

A heart failure team at Keck will be responsible for monitoring Delatorre’s CardioMEMS. The team includes USC associate professors of clinical medicine Dr. Luanda Grazette, Dr. Michael Fong and Dr. Andrew Yoon, as well as the founder of USC’s Center for Body Computing, Dr. Leslie Saxon.

Using the CardioMEMS system, doctors at USC can assess changes in pressure within Dellatorre’s heart in real time.

The successful implantation at Keck could bring about more widespread use of the CardioMEMS system. Proponents believe the device will have significant effects, such as easing patient-doctor communication and preventing future illness.

“The device is designed to reduce readmissions to the hospital and empower patients to be involved in their own health information,” a PRNewswire press release stated.

CardioMEMS was approved by the FDA after clinical trials showed a 30 percent reduction in hospital readmission for heart disease patients. Shavelle served on the FDA panel investigating the treatment.

Shavelle and the Keck school were selected to perform the first operation because of their familiarity with CardioMEMS.

“I have a ton of experience with this technology,” Shavelle said.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and claims more than 380,000 American lives per year. Heart failure can be related to genetic factors such as abnormal heart valves, as well as more general health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Delatorre, the recipient of the implant, has suffered from heart failure for more than 10 years. He was raised in a small Mexican town where he only had access to home remedies. In a statement to the press, he expressed how lucky he felt to receive the groundbreaking treatment.

“Now I have this new invention,” Delatorre told PR Newswire. “It’s like a gift to my body. It’s like winning the lottery, but it’s better because this is a life.”