For patients with heart failure, the CardioMEMS™ HF System can monitor the pressure in your pulmonary artery and send information directly to your doctor, all from the comfort of your home.
What is the CardioMEMS™ HF System?
The CardioMEMS™ HF System consists of an implantable, battery-free sensor that is implanted into the distal pulmonary artery to continuously measure the heart rate along with systolic, diastolic, and mean pressures. The implant is delivered using a matching vascular catheter and readings from the implant are gathered by a bedside electronics unit that also wirelessly powers the implant. The data is transmitted to an online portal where the patient’s cardiologist can check the readings collected by the CardioMEMS™ HF.
How does it work?
The sensor is a resonant circuit consisting of a capacitor and an inductor. The capacitance of the sensor is a function of the pressure in the sensor’s environment and the resonant frequency of the sensor is a function of the capacitance and is measured by the electronics unit. Because of the presence of the inductor coil, the sensor can be electromagnetically coupled and the resonant frequency of the LC (inductor-capacitor) circuit can be measured remotely. This allows for wireless communication with the sensor and eliminates the need for a battery.