THE FIRST patient in Ireland has been fitted with an innovative heart failure sensor. University Hospital Galway (UHG) has become the first hospital in the country to fit the new device. It's aim is to help patients suffering with heart failure , in order to monitor their bodies' fluid levels.
Sheila Concannon from Spiddal in County Galway was the first Irish patient to be fitted with the early warning sensor. It will alert medics if their patients condition gets worse. Over 10,000 cases of heart failure are diagnosed annually in Ireland.
Patients are advised to closely monitor signs of swelling along with symptoms including fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain. Despite the measures, a lot of patients end up back in the hospital within months after being hospitalised due to their heart failure. It is often due to fluid building up in the lungs.
The new innovative sensor measures the volume of fluid build-up, and cardiology teams are able to monitor patients remotely, avoiding unnecessary visits to the hospital. Clinicians receive real-time information about the patient's heart health, which results in more rapid interventions. The procedure was carried out as part of a clinical trial led by Professor Faisal Sharif, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at UHG.
He explained: "The procedure is very straightforward and is carried out as a day case operation. The sensor is implanted using a small catheter which is placed in a vein at the top of the leg. "It is collapsed o.