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Rehospitalization rates for patients with congestive heart failure have declined only slightly in recent decades, even with use of telephone-based monitoring of symptoms and weight. Industry-sponsored researchers now report on an implantable sensor that detects changes in intracardiac and pulmonary artery pressures that precede onset of symptoms; detection might allow for earlier and more effective intervention.
In a U.S. trial, wireless pressure sensors were implanted in a distal branch of the pulmonary artery during right heart catheterization in 550 patients with New York Heart Association class III heart failure who were already receiving optimal medical and device therapies. Patients transmitted daily pressure readings electronically to…