University Hospital Galway (UHG) has become the first hospital in Ireland to introduce a new device designed to help patients suffering with heart failure better monitor their fluid levels in the body.
Galway woman, Sheila Concannon from Spiddal, was the first patient in Ireland to be fitted with this early warning sensor which alerts medics to the patient’s condition worsening.
Over 10,000 new cases of heart failure are diagnosed annually in Ireland, it is a significant public health priority with patients requiring frequent hospitalisations. Patients with heart failure are commonly advised to closely monitor signs of swelling and other symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain. Despite these measures, many patients end up back in the hospital within months after a heart failure hospitalisation, often due to fluid build-up in the lungs.
This new sensor directly measures the volume of fluid build-up allowing cardiology teams to monitor patients remotely, which can help avoid unnecessary visits to hospital. The device gives clinicians access to real-time information about their patient’s heart health which in turn results in more rapid interventions.
This procedure was carried out as part of a clinical trial led by Prof Faisal Sharif, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at UHG.
Professor Sharif has been giving more details to Midwest Radio’s Michael D. McAndrew:
