CardioMEMS is the best big brother a guy can have
Richard Priest, a retired navy corpsman, suffers from class III chronic diastolic congestive heart failure. After multiple emergency visits to the hospital, Richard was referred to the Bronson Heart Failure Clinic. This clinic helps patients manage their heart failure with the goal of keeping them out of the hospital.
“When my family doctor, Dr. James L. Hunt, first mentioned [the Clinic] to me I was a little anxious. But once these people get a hold of you they will never let you go,” Richard shared. “I actually enjoy going into my appointments. They are a fantastic group.”
Dr. Christopher Rogers at Bronson Advanced Cardiac Healthcare, recommended CardioMEMS for Richard, a FDA-approved heart failure monitoring system.
CardioMEMS is a small device that is implanted into a patient’s pulmonary artery. It helps detect changes in the pressure in this artery before a patient experiences symptoms of heart failure. This means that the team at the Bronson Heart Failure Clinic can monitor Richard’s heart function on a daily basis without Richard having to leave his home. If a change is detected, Richard’s treatment can be changed as needed to help prevent a visit to the hospital.
Richard says the CardioMEMS monitor makes it easy to take his pressure reading. “I just wake up in the morning and turn on my CardioMEMS monitor. It takes a pressure reading from one of my arteries and sends it right to the staff at the heart failure clinic.”
Two years after receiving the device, Richard still has not been admitted to the hospital for heart failure. “I don’t have a big brother, but [CardioMEMS] is the best big brother a guy can have,” says Richard. “I can’t say enough about the people at the Bronson Heart Failure Clinic. And they tell me that I am one of their biggest success stories.”
Richard is also an avid user of MyChart, Bronson’s electronic health record. With MyChart, he can view his upcoming appointments, medical records, refill prescriptions and message his primary care physician. “My wife and I both use MyChart and I use it 2-3 times per week.”
To learn more about heart and vascular services at Bronson, click here.
