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Dr. Jasper Brugts cardiomems
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New treatment for heart failure

March 4, 2019

Dr. Jasper Brugts, cardiologist at Erasmus MC, will lead the Dutch study on a new treatment for patients with heart failure.

An implanted sensor allows the remote monitoring of patients by the cardiologist, making preventative action possible and thereby preventing worsening of heart failure and hospital admission. Twenty heart centers in the Netherlands will participate in the study. 

The system is called CardioMEMS and consists of an implantable pressure sensor and an electronic pillow with measuring equipment. When the patient lies on the pillow, the filling pressure in the heart is measured and the readings are sent to the cardiologist in the hospital through a secure internet connection. 

An increase in the preload or filling pressure of the heart is an important indication of worsening of heart failure. By monitoring the filling pressure remotely a cardiologist can intervene more quickly and prevent heart failure symptoms, and thus also possibly prevent hospital admission for heart failure. Rather than tackling heart failure symptoms, the symptoms can be addressed proactively and preventively by using the remote sensor. 

"We expect to be able to drastically reduce the number of hospital admissions"
- Dr. Jasper Brugts -

Dr. Jasper Brugts says: “By actively monitoring the patient, the cardiologist will know, for example, if the medication needs to be changed. We expect to be able to drastically reduce the number of hospital admissions.” In addition, it is also expected that the monitoring system will improve the quality of life, as patients can be helped before their symptoms worsen and they will not need to visit the hospital as often for check-ups. 

The National Health Care Institute and Minister Bruins of the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sports, have jointly made available a grant of 3.8 million euros for healthcare costs and independent funding of 1.8 million euros from the manufacturer Abbott for study costs for Conditional Coverage of CardioMEMS by the basic health insurance package for patients with chronic heart failure.

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