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By Josh Jarman

Novant Health

On Monday, Aug. 19, before most people finished their first cup of coffee, Chris Roseboro arrived at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center for a surgery to insert a smart device designed to monitor and prevent the worsening of his heart failure condition.

Implanted in a small pulmonary artery branch, the paperclip-sized sensor, known as CardioMEMS, has been on the market for a while, but was a revelation to Roseboro when he first learned about it.

“I have been in and out of different hospitals for years with congestive heart failure issues,” the Davie resident said. “It was the same story every time, a buildup of fluid in my lungs made it hard to breathe. So, you can imagine how interested I was to learn that there is a way for my doctor to know what’s going on with my heart, and what we need to do to fix it, before I end up back in the hospital.”

This technology, which was first introduced in 2014 for heart failure patients, received FDA approval for expanded use in at-risk heart failure patients in 2022.

The sensor is designed to alert the patient’s care team with any significant rise in lung pressures. This warning system allows the heart failure team to work with the patient, through targeted medication changes, to avoid the need for hospital admission.

“I often tell my patients that heart failure monitoring via CardioMEMS is a lot like monitoring a river gauge to prevent a flood,” said Dr. Hassan Alhosaini, Novant Health’s medical director for advanced heart disease and pulmonary hypertension in the greater Winston-Salem region. “The CardioMEMS sensor allows us to receive daily lung pressure readings to determine whether the patient cardiac function is worsening. This kind of intelligence allows us to make real-time adjustments to the patient’s medical regimen, which usually involves a change in medication doses or prescribing additional treatments.

“Ultimately, we’re aiming to identify early signs of progression of disease and provide individualized care to improve patient outcomes.”

Roseboro, who spent most of his career as a textile manager in Gastonia, is looking forward to the next chapter of his life.

“It feels good knowing that my doctors are keeping an eye on me,” he said. “I’m going to turn 75 next month, and I want to spend a lot more time with my three kids and 11 grandchildren, outside of having them visit me at the hospital.”

A clinical assessment from a Novant Health heart failure specialist is required to determine if a patient qualifies for this implantable technology. If a patient does qualify, the sensor will be inserted through a heart catheterization outpatient procedure performed at Forsyth Medical Center. Patients will have no limitations after the device is placed, but are required to upload their readings, which takes about a minute each morning, so the clinical team can review and manage accordingly.

Remote patient monitoring is part of Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute’s overall plan to improve heart health across the Triad. Later this month, the Heart & Vascular Institute will open a new heart failure clinic in Winston-Salem to help diagnosis and treat patients with advanced heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. This clinic will help set the stage for Novant’s mechanical circulatory support (artificial heart pump) program set to launch next year.

“We’re laser-focused on trying to bring advanced heart care closer to home for our patients,” said Alisha Sexton, director of Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute in the greater Winston-Salem region. “While we obviously want to provide the latest in advanced treatment technology at the hospital, we also want to continue to invest in technologies that will allow us to proactively monitor and care for our patients to keep them healthy and out of the hospital.”

The Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute is home to 50 medical doctors, 45 advanced practice providers and 16 convenient outpatient clinic locations across the Triad. Patients can self-refer by calling 336-718-6199 or make an appointment online at NovantHealth.org/Heart. Patients can also ask their primary care provider for a referral to the Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute.