National Post (National Edition)
Innovative Therapies Offer Options for Heart Failure Patients
Heart failure (HF) is one of the most rapidly-rising cardiovascular diseases in Canada, with more than 600,000 Canadians currently living with it. HF is a serious chronic condition in which the heart is weakened and unable to pump blood effectively to meet the body’s needs. It’s also progressive. “If not treated properly, HF can eventually lead to multiple organ failure,” says Dr. Brian Clarke, a cardiologist at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary and President of the Canadian Cardiac Transplant Network.
HF can also affect women differently than men. “Although the signs and symptoms of heart failure are the same among men and women, women tend to have more symptoms such as shortness of breath and more difficulty exercising than men,” says Dr. Shelley Zieroth, a cardiologist at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg and President of the Canadian Heart Failure Society.
Fortunately, innovations in HF therapies are improving survival rates and quality of life, especially for people living with more advanced stages of HF. The HeartMate 3™ implantable heart pump, for example, helps a patient’s weakened heart to circulate blood through the body. The HeartMate 3™ heart pump is approved for use as a bridge to heart transplant as well as for patients who don’t qualify for a transplant. “We’ve had many patients who’ve been hospitalized for months, and within weeks of putting in a HeartMate 3™ device, they’re at home and able to attend cardiac rehab clinic as needed,” says Dr. Zieroth.
Another promising new therapy is the CardioMEMS™ HF system, which features a tiny pressure-sensing device that’s implanted directly into a patient’s pulmonary artery. It sends information (such as pulmonary artery pressure and heart rate from inside the body) wirelessly to the physician to help them identify issues before symptoms appear. “Clinical trial data show that it’s reduced hospitalization rates by up to 50 percent. Therefore, there are not only patient benefits but also health care system benefits,” says Dr. Clarke, who uses this technology for his HF patients.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with HF, it’s important to discuss your treatment options with your physician as soon as possible. The first step is opening the dialogue, and this is especially true for women. “Recent database studies suggest that women do equally well post-heart transplant as their male counterparts, however they likely should be referred for advanced therapies sooner,” says Dr. Zieroth.
Clinical trial data show that it’s reduced hospitalization rates by up to 50 percent. Therefore there are not only patient benefits but also health care system benefits.