Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 27 One of Prasad's pa ents, a Fredericks- burg-area resident named Cynthia, was the fi rst individual to receive a Car- dioMEMS implant in March 2021. Cynthia had had diffi culty breathing and a gurgling sound in her throat when she laid down. One day a family mem- ber pointed out that her coughing was causing her to change color, and con- vinced her to visit the hospital, where she learned she had heart failure. "It was a stunner because I was just like anybody else. I was going to work every day, taking care of my home," she said. A er her diagnosis, Cynthia's doctors worked to manage her condi on through medica on. She ended up in the hospital every two months or so as her condi on outpaced her care regimen. Repeated hospitaliza ons are common for heart failure pa ents, and this is something Dr. Prasad hopes the CardioMEMS device can change. "It's given me a level of security..." Dr. Ashok J. Prasad, MD, FACC, an inteven onal car- diologist with Mary Washington Cardiology in affi lia- on with Oracle Heart and Vascular, treats pa ents in the cardiac catheteriza on labs at Mary Washington Hospital and Staff ord Hospital, and is excited about the CardioMEMS device's poten al to allow for more proac ve treatment of heart failure. For Cynthia, that means greater peace of mind, in knowing that her doctors will see changes in her condi on before they result in painful symptoms. "It's given me a level of security," she said. "They're always watching it with every read- ing of that CardioMEMS, so they can take the precau ons that need to be made to prevent a hospitaliza on." Dr. Prasad compares this capability to be- ing able to get a "weather forecast" for the heart. "It tells you, 'Listen, in about two to three weeks, your breathing is going to get so bad that most likely you're going to need to go to the hospital,'" Prasad said. "As soon as a nurse prac oner or cardiologist sees the increased pressure reading from an indi- vidual's heart, they can call that pa ent in so that changes to his or her treatment can be made before symptoms develop." Pa ents who have been diagnosed with heart failure and have been hospitalized at least once within the past year should talk to their cardiologist or primary care physi- cian about whether CardioMEMS may be a helpful treatment op on. Mary Washington Cardiology in affi lia on with Oracle Heart and Vascular is happy to answer ques ons about the device and can implant the device at one of Mary Washington Hospital'sthree cardiac catheteriza on labs, allowing pa- ents to receive this cu ng-edge treatment without traveling far from home. That was key for Cynthia, who praised Prasad and the Mary Washington cardiac team for their compassion and exper se, which helped ease her mind during a stress- ful me. "With heart failure you're already afraid be- cause you don't know—you just don't know what's going to happen," she said. "But when you have people with the knowledge and the care to take care of you, it means more than I could ever say." To learn more, visit Heart.mwhc.com or call Mary Washington Cardiology in af- fi lia on with Oracle Heart & Vascular at 540.657.6155. "What we see is as patients get readmitted more and more for heart failure, their prognosis worsens," Dr. Prasad said. He and other physicians believe the remote monitoring capabili es of CardioMEMS will lead to quicker adjustments in treatment, allowing heart failure pa ents to spend more me improving their health and quality of life, and less me visi ng the hospital. "The hope is that if we can prevent hospital admissions ... we can keep them out of the hospital more frequently; we can address acute illness more urgently, and then hope- fully translate into be er outcomes," he said. "And it's already translated into better quality of life." Ashok J Prasad, MD, FACC Interventional Cardiologist, Mary Washington Cardiology in affi lia- tion with Oracle Heart & Vascular.

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