A smart-phone app under development for heart-failure patients allows them to keep track of the pressure inside their heart as measured by an implanted sensor. That data could help patients adjust their medication to maintain a healthy pressure, much as diabetics do with insulin and blood sugar readings.
Called Pam+ (for "patient advisory module"), the app is being developed by researchers at the University of Southern California in collaboration with medical device maker St. Jude Medical. The researchers hope it will help patients better manage their health and reduce hospitalizations, which are responsible for much of the $40 million in health-care costs linked to heart failure.
In congestive heart failure, pressure builds up in the circulatory system and the heart fails to pump blood adequately to the rest of the body. Fluid pressure changes by the day, and monitoring those fluctuations continuously is essential to treating heart failure effectively. A number of implanted devices are now under development to monitor this pressure, giving patients and doctors real time data.
In congestive heart failure, pressure builds up in the circulatory system and the heart fails to pump blood adequately to the rest of the body. Fluid pressure changes by the day, and monitoring those fluctuations continuously is essential to treating heart failure effectively. A number of implanted devices are now under development to monitor this pressure, giving patients and doctors real time data.
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