Implantable heart monitors may someday help physicians detect the presence of worsening heart disease hours to days before the onset of symptoms. HeartPOD consists of a permanently implanted sensor system and a handheld computer module. Researchers say the experimental system will allow physicians to adjust medication dosages in response to signals sent from the implant to the computer by wireless transmission.
"It looks like a pacemaker with a lead that is placed in the left atrium, and it monitors left atrial pressure, heart rate activity, and body temperature," explains Neighborhood Heart Watch editor-in-chief Dr. Douglas Zipes. "This is a way to essentially have an ambulatory coronary care unit to monitor patients with a variety of cardiovascular problems."
The novel treatment approach may provide better, more cost-effective care, and increase the patient's out-of-hospital time.
POD stands for "physiologically optimized dosimeter" and is being developed by Savacor, Inc. A functional prototype of the device was created in the spring of 2002. Clinical trials are in the planning stages.
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