Reported September 2007

BACKGROUND: An easy-to-use in-home monitoring device for patients is changing the way doctors monitor the health of patients with implanted defibrillators. Rush University Medical Center, along with 18 others across the United States, is participating in a pilot study of the LATITUDE Patient Management system to determine if this wireless home monitoring system can decrease the number of hospitalizations for heart failure.

HOW IT WORKS: A mini-antenna built into the implanted defibrillator sends data to a wireless system placed in the patient's home. The data is automatically transmitted to a secure internet server where the physician can access this medical information at any time, from any place. Unlike other remote devices, which only transmit data if certain parameters are out of range, the LATITUDE system uploads health information that can help physicians monitor the day-to-day changes in patients. In addition to the data stored before, during and after an arrhythmia, the system employs a wireless weight scale and blood pressure monitor to record vital statistics crucial for the management of cardiac failure patients. For instance, an abrupt change in weight could indicate worsening heart failure. So the same information normally requiring a visit to the doctor's office every few months can now be downloaded to the physician at any time without the patient ever leaving home. If the patient feels the defibrillator activate, he or she can transmit the rhythm information to their physician who can quickly analyze the data to determine if the patient needs to be hospitalized.

HAVE A HEART: The heart pumps 5.6 liters of blood through the entire body in roughly 20 seconds. Each day, your blood travels some 12,000 miles and your heart beats about 100,000 times. This delivers oxygen and other essential nutrients to the body's cells and organs. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off, either because part of the heart is damaged (such as the valves to the chambers), or because plaque has built up inside the arteries, narrowing them and severely restricting blood flow. Symptoms of a heart attack include a squeezing discomfort in the center of the chest, pain or tingling in the left arm, shortness of breath and sometimes a cold sweat, nausea or dizziness.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Kim Waterman
Associate Director, Media Relations
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
(312) 942-7820
Kimberly_Waterman@rush.edu

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