Heart failure can be a challenging condition to manage. At The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health, our experienced specialists detect heart problems early—even if you don’t have symptoms—with an implanted device that monitors your heart remotely.
What Is the CardioMEMS™ Heart Failure System?
Millions of people are hospitalized for severe heart failure (HF) symptoms each year. Doctors have typically managed HF by monitoring weight, vital signs and clinical symptoms. But by the time these symptoms appear, your heart has been damaged and you may need hospitalization.
CardioMEMS is a wireless sensor about the size of a paper clip. Doctors place it in the pulmonary artery (blood vessel that moves blood from the heart to the lungs). The sensor can detect worsening heart failure, even before symptoms develop.
You take readings at home and send us the results in real time with an easy-to-use, portable device. Our team analyzes the results and contacts you if we need to make treatment changes.
One study of 1,200 people with heart failure showed that in the year following a CardioMEMS implant, participants had a:
- 57% reduction in risk of heart failure hospitalization
- 27% reduction in all-cause hospitalizations
What Are the Benefits of CardioMEMS?
CardioMEMS helps your doctor take immediate action if your heart failure symptoms get worse. The system can help:
- Alert your healthcare team to problems before symptoms develop
- Decrease your pulmonary artery pressure
- Improve your quality of life
- Reduce hospitalizations and doctors’ appointments for heart failure
CardioMEMS: The Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Advantage
Our CardioMEMS program is one of the first in the nation. Some of our specialists participated in the FDA clinical trial that led to approval of the CardioMEMS device, and one of the first in the country to adopt its use.
You also benefit from:
- Coordinated, advanced care: Our board-certified cardiologists carefully plan your treatment and safely implant your monitor. Our hybrid operating room—one of the only ones in Lancaster County—makes it possible for these specialists to work side by side.
- Reduced risk of hospitalization: As a St. Jude Center of Excellence, we have among the lowest hospital readmission rates for heart failure in the nation. We've also seen a significant reduction in heart failure patients with CardioMEMS who need urgent care.
- Experienced leadership: Our team is sought out for their leadership and expertise. We’ve mentored more than 60 other medical programs as they establish heart failure clinics with CardioMEMS.
Who Might Benefit From CardioMEMS?
People most likely to benefit from CardioMEMS have heart failure and are at increased risk of hospitalization. To be a candidate for CardioMEMS, you must:
- Have mild heart failure (Class II) with a slight limitation in physical activity
- Have increased levels of natriuretic peptides, a substance made by the heart that indicates heart failure is getting worse
- Have more severe heart failure (Class III), with marked limitations in physical activity and a hospitalization for heart failure within the previous year
You should also be able to reliably take daily readings from the CardioMEMs implant and make medication changes that your care team recommends over the phone.
CardioMEMS: What to Expect
CardioMEMS implantation is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that takes about an hour. An electrocardiogram (EKG) monitors your heart rate and rhythm as your healthcare team:
- Injects anesthesia into your neck or groin where a tiny incision will be made.
- Threads a thin, hollow tube (catheter) through a vein to your heart and pulmonary artery.
- Injects a small amount of contrast material dye and takes pictures of the artery (angiogram) to check its size and make sure the sensor can be implanted.
- Removes the pulmonary artery catheter and inserts another catheter (delivery catheter) with the sensor attached.
- Guides the sensor with a tiny wire and positions it in the pulmonary artery, where it will stay permanently.
- Releases the sensor from the catheter and removes the catheter from your body.
Most people are able to return home the same day. In most cases, you can resume your normal activities within a few days. You won't be able to feel the sensor, and it shouldn't interfere with your daily routine. You transmit your pressures on a daily basis. This takes only a few minutes.
Contact Us
To learn more about our heart and vascular care, call 717-544-8300.