MIAMI – A device that automatically detects early symptoms of congestive heart failure has been implanted in patients in the United States this month for the first time.
The device is designed to allow patients to get treatment earlier and stay healthier.
When fluid levels around the heart get too high, they can interfere with a normal heartbeat and cause death. The InSync Sentry device monitors the amount of fluid in the chest. If there is a buildup, doctors can reduce it with medecine.
One of the devices was implanted in a patient at the University of California at Los Angeles last Friday. A second one was implanted Monday in 70-year-old Antonio Comandari at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The device is about the size of a cigarette lighter and transmits radio signals that can yield a computer readout on the heart.
It costs about $30,000, lasts five to seven years and should be available for widespread use by February.
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