Wireless in-heart microcomputer launched in clinical trial
A wireless in-heart microcomputer has launched its clinical trial in London at Hammersmith Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Doctors hope the technology could improve the quality of life for people living with heart failure, helping them better manage the condition and reduce the need for re-admissions to hospital.
The device, called V-LAP, is implanted in the heart’s left atrium, from where it feeds back data about pressure changes in the heart. The sensor does not have a battery and is charged remotely from outside the patient’s body using a chest strap which also collects and transmits the data to doctors.
The company behind the V-LAP wireless heart monitor, Vectorious, hopes that by providing daily pressure readouts from the heart - rather than relying on physiological symptoms which appear at a late stage of the disease - doctors will be able to pre-emptively adapt treatment plans for individual patients and reduce the need for them to be admitted to hospital.
This would not only improve the quality of life for the patient but, as heart failure is the most common reason for people over 65 to be admitted to hospital, accounting for 63,000 emergency admissions a year, the device could help make savings for the NHS.
A recent analysis by the British Heart Foundation, shows that the number of people dying from heart and circulatory diseases before the age of 75 is rising for the first time in 50 years.
The procedure in London is the second in the UK. Since the study was launched in January 2019 nine heart failure patients across Europe were fitted with the device. In 2020 the study will be launched in the US.
Dr Zachary Whinnett, consultant cardiologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, who carried out the procedure on the 71-year-old male patient from Cornwall, said:
“The V-LAP device promises to provide a significant step forward in the management of people with heart failure. Heart failure is usually a chronic heart condition, which can cause a high symptom burden and often requires frequent admissions to hospital.
“The V-LAP device provides remote daily monitoring of clinical status, as it directly measures pressure within the heart. The aim is to be able to tailor treatment to the individual person, so that we can make changes in treatment at an early stage in order to prevent worsening symptoms and hospital admissions.”
Oren Goldshtein, Vectorious’ CEO said: “We believe the V-LAP sensor represents a real step change in the treatment of heart disease for the one million people living with heart failure in the UK.
“Since the pressure of the heart’s left atrium is the earliest and most accurate real-time indication of heart failure exacerbation, the feedback provided by the V-LAP will enable a significant improvement in ongoing management of these patients.
“It will enable doctors to adjust the patient’s medication early enough, often remotely, and as a result avoid their condition worsening and a re-admission into hospital.
“By having individual, long-term data for each patient, doctors will be able to react to each individual, rather than resorting to what often amounts to guess work and estimations that are currently the case. We are excited about extending our study in the UK and would encourage existing patients to contact Hammersmith Hospital in London and Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham to see if they could be enrolled. “
The data provided by the device will be analysed using artificial intelligence in order to provide doctors with information to help them intervene early, to detect important events and help patients remain well balanced and medically safe.
The minimally-invasive procedure to implant the device is completed in less than an hour. It is anticipated that patients are able to return home the same day after the operation and can start using the device immediately.