OU Health has implanted Oklahoma’s first CardioMEMS heart failure monitoring device in an adult patient with congenital heart disease, becoming the first hospital in the state to apply the technology to this patient population. The minimally invasive procedure lets physicians remotely track heart pressures and intervene before hospitalization becomes necessary.
Mohit Pahuja, MD, an interventional cardiologist and assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, performed the catheter-based procedure in Oklahoma City, according to a July 28 news release. The patient, a young woman, was born with tetralogy of Fallot, a complex congenital heart defect repaired in childhood. She later developed progressive heart failure that required frequent trips to Oklahoma City for care.
The coin-sized CardioMEMS sensor, made by Abbott, was implanted in the patient’s pulmonary artery. She now takes daily readings at home using an external reader that transmits pressure data to her care team, who can adjust medications before symptoms worsen.
“This is much more than a new device. It changes how we care for patients,” Dr. Pahuja said. He noted that few centers nationally have applied CardioMEMS to adult congenital heart patients, whose surgically altered anatomy makes the procedure more complex.
OU Health operates Oklahoma’s only comprehensive Adult Congenital Heart Disease program, and Dr. Pahuja said the milestone builds toward the health system’s broader goals for adult heart transplant and heart pump programs.
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