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pdf - 42 KB - 05/03/08 - 192
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NEW BRITAIN WOMAN FIRST IN-STATE WITH WIRELESS REMOTE HEART MONITORING SYSTEM
(New Britain, CT; April 25, 2008) – An 85-year-old New Britain woman is the first in
the state and among the first in the nation to be implanted with the Sleuth ECG
Monitoring System, the first wireless, implantable system for continuous, long-term
monitoring of electrocardiogram (cardiac rhythm) data.
The implantation was conducted April 4 by James St. Pierre, M.D., F.A.C.C., in The
Hospital of Central Connecticut’s cardiac catheterization suite. Transoma
Medical, Inc., of St. Paul, Minn., manufactures the Sleuth system, which received
FDA approval in October 2007.
The system monitors patients suffering from unexplained syncope (fainting),
providing accurate, timely diagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG) data to help
physicians evaluate cardiac rhythm disorders. The New Britain woman had been
experiencing unexplained fainting episodes and was diagnosed with “sick sinus
syndrome,” a heart rhythm problem in which the sinoatrial node — the heart’s
natural pacemaker — isn’t functioning properly.
Syncope can be caused by a variety of conditions, including metabolic
disorders, neurological conditions, emotional distress or multiple cardiovascular
conditions, including cardiac rhythm disorders. However, for approximately onethird
of syncope patients, standard testing cannot identify a cause. Diagnosing
cardiovascular-related syncope can be especially challenging because
abnormal heart activity may be infrequent or not apparent to the patient.
Conditions causing cardiovascular syncope include heart attack, heart failure,
rhythm disturbances, obstructed blood flow and low blood pressure.
With unexplained syncope, many patients must modify daily activities
significantly, e.g., stop driving or give up a job, impacting quality of life.
“Patients with unexplained syncope are a challenge to manage,” St. Pierre said.
“They are often forced to make significant life adjustments with their careers,
families and even driving because their fainting episodes are unpredictable. The
Sleuth system provides an entirely new approach in identifying and diagnosing
empowersystems®
cardiovascular conditions that cause syncope.”
The Sleuth system is a thin medical device about the size of a 50-cent piece (or
the size of the smallest pacemakers) placed under the skin near the shoulder.
The device continuously gathers ECG data, which show the rate and regularity
of heartbeats and provide other information about heart function. The
information is automatically forwarded to a monitoring center where certified
cardiac technicians send reports of relevant cardiac event data to the
physician.
Standard evaluation of a cardiovascular cause for syncope requires a thorough
medical history, physical examination and resting ECG. This may be
supplemented by exercise testing, cardiac echocardiography, 24- or 48-hour
“Holter” monitoring, a patient-activated cardiac event recorder and
implantation of a long-term cardiac monitor.
Other monitoring systems (those with wires and without) require patients to visit
their physician’s office periodically to have diagnostic data downloaded. Some
wireless systems also require patients to wave a device over the unit when they
experience syncope – a problem because not all patients feel a fainting episode
coming on. The wireless Sleuth system does not require the patient to wave a
device over the unit, and because technicians at the monitoring center
constantly review data for irregularities, patients and physicians no longer need
to wait for periodically scheduled office visits to obtain diagnostic data.
“The Sleuth system represents a substantial addition to the hospital’s ability to
diagnose or extrude elusive cardiac rhythm disorders using remote, online
technology,” said Milton Sands, M.D., chief of cardiology at the hospital.
“We are very excited to see physicians adopt our Sleuth system,” said Brian
Brockway, Transoma Medical chairman and chief executive officer. “Sleuth is
based on more than two decades of experience with our remote wireless
diagnostic technology, and we are delighted to make a clinical product
available to physicians and their patients.”
ABOUT THOCC
The Hospital of Central Connecticut is a member of the Central Connecticut
Health Alliance, a system of healthcare affiliates that provides a wide array of
services throughout the region, caring for patients from birth through the end of
life. With nearly 3,000 employees and 500 physicians, THOCC is dedicated to
fostering, sustaining and improving the health status of the people in the
communities it serves. THOCC is affiliated with the University of Connecticut
School of medicine, as well as other universities. |
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