Overview
A CardioMEMS™ is an implantable wireless device that sits in the pulmonary artery, a blood vessel that takes blood from your heart to your lungs. The device measures the pressure in your pulmonary artery. The pressure in your pulmonary artery reflects how your heart is squeezing and relaxing, as well as marks how much fluid you have in your body.
At home you will lay on a special pillow that reads the pressures in your pulmonary artery and sends the readings to your care team electronically. These pressure readings help your care team manage your heart failure symptoms and check for early signs of worsening heart failure. Your care team will call you if your pressure numbers are outside of the range they would like for you. They may need to make changes to your medicines or they may want to see you in person.
Want more information?
Check out our CardioMEMs™ HF System patient and family education flyer.
Implanting Your Device
The device is implanted during a cardiac catheterization procedure. Placement does not require an open heart surgery. It has no battery and is designed to remain in place for life.
Benefits
Risks
Benefits
CardioMEMS™ has helped decrease heart failure hospital admissions by almost 50% in adult patients, so it has the potential to decrease your chance of entering the hospital for heart failure treatment.
It helps your care team know how the heart is functioning and what medications are needed.
CardioMEMS™ can improve your quality of life by:
- helping to manage your fluid status
- decreasing your symptoms of heart failure
- keeping you out of the hospital
Since your heart pressures are reviewed more often with this device, it may also decrease the need for future cardiac catheterizations.
Risks
Adverse rates are minimal for CardioMEMS™ placement. The CardioMEMS™ is placed during a cardiac catheterization, so your care team will monitor your insertion site for any bleeding, swelling, or change in color or temperature of your legs.
In rare instances, a small blood clot could form at your insertion site and your legs may not get the normal full blood supply to your toes. If this happens, you may have to come back to the hospital for treatment.
You will need to be on a blood thinner medicine after the placement of your CardioMEMS™ for a short period of time. This will decrease the risk of additional complications not related to blood clots.
CardioMEMS™ has helped decrease heart failure hospital admissions by almost 50% in adult patients, so it has the potential to decrease your chance of entering the hospital for heart failure treatment.
It helps your care team know how the heart is functioning and what medications are needed.
CardioMEMS™ can improve your quality of life by:
- helping to manage your fluid status
- decreasing your symptoms of heart failure
- keeping you out of the hospital
Since your heart pressures are reviewed more often with this device, it may also decrease the need for future cardiac catheterizations.
Adverse rates are minimal for CardioMEMS™ placement. The CardioMEMS™ is placed during a cardiac catheterization, so your care team will monitor your insertion site for any bleeding, swelling, or change in color or temperature of your legs.
In rare instances, a small blood clot could form at your insertion site and your legs may not get the normal full blood supply to your toes. If this happens, you may have to come back to the hospital for treatment.
You will need to be on a blood thinner medicine after the placement of your CardioMEMS™ for a short period of time. This will decrease the risk of additional complications not related to blood clots.
