Study: CardioMEMS lowers all-cause admissions in HF patients

Use of St. Jude Medical‘s (NYSE:STJ) CardioMEMS implantable heart monitor in patients previously hospitalized for heart failure can significantly reduces all-cause heart failure admissions, according to data from a new study released late last month.

Data from an oral abstract of the study was presented at the 12th Annual AAHFN meeting, according to a report from Healio.

“Ambulatory hemodynamic monitoring of pulmonary artery pressures in a high-risk patient population with many comorbid conditions has demonstrated a reduction in all-cause and [HF] admissions,” Lisa Rathman of Lancaster, Penn.’s Heart Group of Lancaster General Health said, according to Healio.

The 21-patient retrospective review study aimed to evaluate the rate of heart failure hospitalizations in a postmarket community hospital population in patients equipped with the CardioMEMS device.

Data from the study indicated a 13.7 reduction in average days spent in the emergency department after implantation, and an average reduction of 9.8 days for patients with chronic heart failure.

Study results also indicated an increase in significance of care post-implantation, with average phoe calls between physician and patient increasing from 1.2 to 2.6, and days between medication changes reducing from 11.7 to 6.2 days.

In February, a Medicare contractor said it will not cover the CardioMEMS implantable heart monitor, citing the need for more clinical data on the device.

Novitas, a Medicare Administrative Contractor that covers patients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and and Washington, D.C., said it would not cover the CardioMEMS device, which is designed to monitor patients for signs of heart failure.

St. Jude acquired CardioMEMS for $435 million after the heart failure monitor won FDA approval in 2014.

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