The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an implantable heart device able to send data directly to a physician for monitoring.
The CardioMEMS HF System is for Class III heart failure patients who have been hospitalized within the past year for heart failure. It is the first permanently implantable heart monitor able to track patients' pulmonary artery pressure, heart rate and other measures and transmit that data to a secure database for provider review.
In the clinical trial, the patients whose pulmonary artery pressure and other data was transmitted to physicians through the device experienced significantly fewer heart failure-related hospital readmissions than those in the control group.
Investors believe the device will be successful in the market. Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen said annual sales of the device could reach $259 million by 2018, according to a report in The New York Times.
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