Del Sol Medical Center is the first hospital in El Paso to offer the CardioMEMS HF System—a new miniaturized, wireless monitoring sensor to manage heart failure—to heart patients.
Hospital officials say the system allows patients to remotely transmit pulmonary artery pressure readings from the comfort of their homes to their health care providers. This new technology allows for proactive intervention of heart failure and is clinically proven to reduce hospital admissions by up to 58 percent.
“Del Sol Medical Center is proud to provide this innovative telehealth technology, which helps us provide trailblazing, transformative cardiovascular care to our patients,” David Shimp, chief executive officer of Del Sol Medical Center, said.
“Being able to monitor patients remotely and with real-time data is a game-changer, and this technology will have a positive impact on our patients and the community. We’re thrilled to be part of this historic moment as the first hospital to make this advanced technology available to El Pasoans and those in the surrounding areas.”
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands. This technology features a sensor that is implanted in the pulmonary artery (PA) during a minimally invasive procedure.
Increased PA pressures appear before weight and blood pressure changes, which are often used as indirect measures of worsening heart failure.
Juan Taveras, M.D., a cardiologist at Del Sol Medical Center and the first cardiologist in the region to implant the technology, says it’s a transformative medical solution, especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a cardiologist who has worked closely with cardiovascular patients throughout the global pandemic, the wireless monitoring device has been vital in reducing hospital admissions,” Dr. Taveras said.
“Having implanted it in our first-ever patient at Del Sol Medical Center on April 26, I’m looking forward to witnessing the long-lasting medical benefits and improvements in this patient’s—and all future patients’—quality of life.”
Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization for Americans over age 65. According to the American Stroke Association, nearly 6 million Americans have heart failure, and 900,000 new patients are diagnosed each year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite that half of heart failure patients die within five years of diagnosis. The estimated cost of heart failure in the U.S. is expected to double by 2030.
For more information on the cardiac services and the procedures available at Del Sol Medical Center, visit www.LPDSHealthcare.com
