Key Summary
- NICE has recommended a small implant that helps heart failure patients monitor their condition from home.
- The device can spot early warning signs and has reduced hospital admissions by around 34 per cent.
- It supports safer home care while easing pressure on NHS hospitals.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a new implantable device developed by Abbott that helps patients prone to heart failure monitor heart condition from their homes.
In the UK, 920,000 people suffer from heart failures and nearly 1 million hospital beds a year are occupied by heart patients.
It is a health condition that costs the NHS over £2 billion annually, with other related costs.
The new paperclip-sized device, CardioMEMS HF System, is implanted in the artery between the heart and the lungs via a small procedure.
Patients can find their daily blood pressure readings after lying down on a special pillow by pressing a button.
The system also provides the healthcare team with updates on readings to identify early warning signs and avoid emergency hospital visits.
Three randomised controlled trials have proven 34 per cent reduction in heart failure hospitalisations with the CardioMEMS HF System.
Leslie Birkenhead, a former paramedic from Hampshire, who is using CardioMEMS HF System since 2020 commented, “Living with heart failure can be incredibly frightening, particularly when you don’t know what’s happening inside your body from day to day.”
"For patients and their families, this means fewer frightening trips to A&E and more time living their lives. For the NHS, it represents an innovative approach to managing a condition that places significant demands on hospital resources,” said Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, HealthTech programme director at NICE.
NICE also states that this innovation helps the government to achieve the shift of care closer to home and the reduction of pressure on hospitals as per its 10 Year-Plan.
