Technology designed to alert patient to the need for medical attention and improve heart attack survival rates in high-risk patients
Imagine a day when you could be alerted to your impending heart attack before it happens. Research that got underway today at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System could help that become a reality someday.
At 8:45 A.M. today, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System launched its clinical participation in a national trial for the AngelMed Guardian System, when physicians implanted the Cardiac Monitor and Alert System into a high-risk heart patient. The AngelMed Guardian is designed to track significant changes in the heart's signals and let the patient know when it is time to contact the doctor, or even head straight to the emergency room.
"For our high risk patients, those who have already experienced a cardiac event, this technology could be potentially life-saving," said Robert Wlodarczyk, DO, the principle investigator for the clinical trial. "Monitoring heart signals remotely can give patients peace of mind that they will be alerted when they need to seek treatment. Early intervention could mean avoidance of a full scale heart attack."
The AngelMed Guardian system is the size of a standard pacemaker and has a lead into the heart with an external telemetry device and a programmer that aids physicians in evaluating heart signals. In the critical early moments, which could possibly be before symptoms are even present, a pager device alerts the patient to seek medical care.
"The clinical trials taking place at Salinas Valley Memorial are truly groundbreaking," said Sam Downing, MBA, MHA President/CEO of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. "This research project could bring us to the day when early warning will save countless lives from fatal heart attack."