First Irish patient implanted with remote heart failure monitor

A Galway patient has become the first in Ireland to receive an innovative new system that enables their heart to be monitored remotely.

The technology, from Dublin-based medtech company FIRE1, involves the implantation of a device to enable patients to monitor and control their fluid volume themselves with a device at home, similar to how continuous glucose monitoring transformed diabetes care.

Fluid overload is a classic clinical feature of heart failure, which affects approximately 90,000 Irish people. High levels of fluid can increase the risk of breathing difficulties and a build-up of fluid in the lungs which lead to an emergency hospital admission.

The successful implantation took place at University Hospital Galway in the first in-human clinical investigation of the FIRE1 system in heart failure patients (FUTURE-HF). The study will assess FIRE1’s novel solution to improve outcomes for those living with heart failure.

The FIRE1 sensor is implanted into the inferior vena cava (IVC) in the abdomen and works by continuously measuring the size of the IVC, giving a marker of the amount of fluid in the body.

The patient wears a belt reader around the abdomen for around a minute a day to take a reading from the sensor and the data is sent to the patient’s clinical team at the hospital. The system is designed to alert whenever the patient’s condition deteriorates.

The implant was performed by UHG prof of interventional cardiology and translational medicine Faisal Sharif. “We are delighted to bring this new, transformative technology to Ireland for the first time,” said Prof Sharif.

“The procedure was very straightforward, minimally invasive and the patient was confident using the FIRE1 system and taking the readings.

The data we will get from this patient will give a new window into heart failure management and has the potential to dramatically improve our understanding of this patient’s condition, and to enable proactive changes in medications that will keep them healthy and at home. We hope to implant further patients at UHG while recruitment is still active.”

FIRE1 CEO Conor Hanley said that the procedure “represents a true clinical research success for Ireland, being one of the first systems of its nature to be developed, manufactured and now to be in a clinical trial in Ireland.

“It showcases Ireland’s capability for groundbreaking medical innovation with the potential to change healthcare delivery globally.”