KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 81st Medical Group’s Cardiology Clinic started offering their CardioMEMS HF System to selective Veterans Affairs patients April 2017 here.
The partnership gives an opportunity for Keesler medical professionals to further their education and training by performing procedures they may not normally be able to.
“We have a good relationship with their cardiologist and they send us a lot of patients,” said Maj. (Dr.) Adam Marler, 81st Medical Operations Squadron staff cardiologist.
The CardioMEMS HF system is a pulmonary artery pressure censor. The device is placed in a 7 millimeter branch of the left pulmonary artery, however, it will work the same if placed in the right pulmonary artery, said Marler.
“We take catheters into the right side of the heart, right atrium and right ventricle, and eventually into the pulmonary artery,” said Marler. “We measure the pressure in each of those areas.”
After the surgery, patients go home with a suitcase monitor, Marler said. They lay on a pillow that is connected to the machine that gives patients directions on what to do, and then it measures the pressure inside the pulmonary artery and the results get sent to a secure website.
“The VA centers we partner with do not have the ability to complete invasive studies and procedures that are very often needed to benefit their patients,” said Marler. “Our goal is to fill this need safely and efficiently so the veterans receive the care they deserve”
The CardioMEMS HF system is a more accurate and convenient way to monitor heart failure in patients; the suitcase monitor eliminates the need for patients to come in as often for checkups, Marler said.
“It truly is an honor to work with the VA system and with the veterans living on the Gulf Coast,” said Marler. “The partnership has allowed Keesler Medical Center and our physician training programs to grow in ways which were previously not thought possible.”