Heart failure symptoms are usually controlled using a variety of medications. But these medications are not always effective. Now, there is a new treatment available for those heart failure patients whose symptoms are not relieved through medications alone.
According to Ketan Gala, MD, FACC, Medical Director, Advanced Heart Failure Program at Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care: “This new treatment has the capability to help reduce heart failure symptoms and improve quality of life. It offers something for patients who otherwise have limited options, or in some cases have no other options to treat their heart failure.”
This new treatment involves the implantation of a small device – not unlike a pacemaker used to maintain normal heart rhythm – that has been shown to improve the symptoms of patients with systolic heart failure. The device is called Barostim™ and is the world’s first FDA-approved heart failure device.
First in the Region
Recently, physicians at Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care performed this procedure on a 67-year-old male patient whose symptoms were not improved through medications alone. Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care are first in Southern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia region to make this advanced treatment option available for heart failure patients.
Barostim uses the power of the brain and nervous system to improve the symptoms of patients with systolic heart failure. It works by reducing the heart’s workload to help it pump more efficiently. It has been shown to improve exercise capacity, quality of life, and severity of heart disease by helping patients return to their daily activities.1
If you or someone close to you suffers from heart failure, schedule an appointment with one of our cardiologists to see if this treatment is right for you.
Heart Failure Is a Progressive Condition
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s need for blood and oxygen. Essentially, the heart can’t keep up with its workload. People with heart failure often experience shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in lower extremities, weakness, and reduced ability to perform physical activity.
Heart Failure Affects Nearly 7 Million Americans
Overall, heart failure is associated with a 4X increased risk of death and a 6 to 9 times increased risk of sudden cardiac death. In the US, heart failure is estimated to affect 6.9 million adults and is expected to increase by 24% to nearly 8.5 million by 2030.2
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References
- Zile MR, Lindenfeld J, Weaver FA, Zannad F, Galle E, Rogers T, Abraham WT. Baroreflex Activation Therapy in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Jul 7;76(1):1-13.[↩]
- Ponikowski P, Anker SD, AlHabib KF, Cowie MR, Force TL, Hu S, Jaarsma T, Krum H, Rastogi V, Rohde LE, Samal UC, Shimokawa H, Budi Siswanto B, Sliwa K, Filippatos G. Heart failure: preventing disease and death worldwide. ESC Heart Fail. 2014 Sep;1(1):4-25.[↩]
