The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, in partnership with Abbott, has revealed the success of implanting the highly precise device “CardioMEMS PA sensor” for patients with heart failure.The announcement comes as part of MoHAP’s participation in the Arab Health 2020, Dubai, which lasts until January 30.
The new device reduces hospital admissions by 58%, as it can predict the health condition of the patient's heart and send an email to his doctor if there are indications of heart failure, thus taking the necessary treatment measures.
The CardioMEMS ™ HF system features a wireless sensor that is implanted in the pulmonary artery (PA) to directly measure PA pressure of patients with advanced heart failure.
The CardioMEMS HF System allows patients to transmit critical information about their heart failure status to a clinician on a regular basis, without the need for additional clinic or hospital visits. This provides clinicians with the ability to detect worsening heart failure sooner and adjust treatment to reduce the likelihood that the patient will need to be hospitalized.
Predictive Treatment Solutions
The device is measuring the percentage of fluid trapped in the pulmonary artery causing heart failure and it doesn’t require batteries or replaceable parts. Once implanted, it measures the PA pressure precisely and continuously.
This helps detect symptoms in earlier stages and contributes to faster treatment, in addition to reducing the rate of hospitalization and the death rate due to heart failure.
HE Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministry’s Hospitals Sector, said: “The UAE is the world’s first in implementing this innovative technology with the aim of providing continuous smart medical solutions through the wearable technology and predictive data analysis, as part of the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This would help support more future medical decisions and proactive follow-up of the patient's condition remotely, as well as preventive health care.”
It also contributes to supporting MoHAP’s plans to improve the national indicator of the number of cardiovascular deaths, according to the objectives of the national agenda for the UAE Vision 2021, he concluded.
Improving the National Indicator of Cardiovascular Disease Deaths
Dr. Kalthoum Al Baloushi, Director of MoHAP’s Hospitals Administration, said: “This innovative technology would help improve the quality of services provided for patients and reinforce the access to these reduced-cost services. The new technology allows clinicians and nursing staff to easily monitor the patient’s status through wireless communication. The doctor can resort to the information sent by the PA sensor to make changes to the treatment plan before feeling symptoms.”
“With the aim of promoting a supportive environment for cardiovascular health in schools, MoHAP has several national cardiovascular disease programs and initiatives including early screening program for critical congenital heart anomalies "CCHD" for newborns in hospitals using artificial intelligence techniques, and "Safe Hearts" program that targets primary school students to provide early detection services for congenital heart disease,” she concluded.