What if a doctor could keep tabs on a patient's heart failure symptoms on a daily basis, detect-ing subtle increases in weight and blood pressure, the tell-tale signs of worsening heart fail-ure, and summoning the patient to the hospital before they themselves were aware that any-thing was wrong?
More than half a million Americans are diagnosed with heart failure each year, and the condition causes or contributes to 300,000 deaths annually. In addition to being one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., heart failure is the number one cause of hospitalization for people aged 65 and older, it is the most expensive medical condition in the U.S., and its incidence is growing because of the aging population.
Many heart failure patients receive an implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) device upon diagnosis. Now, wireless technology can monitor these devices, along with blood pressure and weight, on a daily basis. The wireless system offers doctors a significant opportunity to better treat heart failure, keep patients out of the hospital and bring them greater peace of mind.
Using Bluetooth technology, Boston Scientific's LATITUDE Patient Management System allows doctors to remotely monitor specific information about the patients' condition to determine if the heart is showing signs of decline. If information is transmitted that suggests something is wrong, the patient's physician can intervene. LATITUDE is the only FDA-approved product for wireless home monitor-ing of a patient's heart condition, implanted device, blood pressure and weight. This wireless cardiac rhythm management system is very new, and many consumers don't realize how important daily monitoring of weight and blood pressure is to detecting early warning signs of worsening heart failure.
Is this something you might be interested in hearing more about? I can arrange interviews for you with cardiologists and patients using this tec
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Contact: Bill Gray
btgray@webershandwick.com
952-346-6226
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
18-Sep-2006