CardioMEMS™ Heart Failure System |Heart Failure | MedStar Health

Home monitoring for heart failure patients

CardioMEMS™ HF System is used to monitor heart failure patients at home. Indications for use include patients diagnosed as having Class lll or IV heart failure and have been hospitalized with heart failure within the previous 12 months. This is a collaborative program that includes interventional cardiology and heart failure and transplantation physicians.


CardioMEMS™ HF System is used to monitor heart failure patients at home.

What to expect

There are no special preparations for the ABI test. You should wear loose-fitting clothing, so your arm and leg are easily accessible. You will rest briefly before the test, and you normally will lie on your back on an examination table.

Test

A health professional will measure your blood pressure in both arms and both ankles. The measurements are taken by using an inflatable cuff and a hand-held ultrasound device that contacts the skin. The device produces images and allows the pulse in the ankle arteries to be heard once the cuff is deflated.


A doctor uses a monitor to check the blood pressure in a patient's ankle during a vascular test.

Tests

Angiogram (Angiography)

An angiogram is a special X-ray taken as a special dye is injected through a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to detect blockages or aneurysms in blood vessels.

Cardiac catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions by guiding thin, flexible tubes called catheters through blood vessels to problem areas.

Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create pictures of the structures inside the chest, including the lungs, heart, and chest wall.

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan

The cardiac computed tomography scan, or cardiac CT, uses X-rays to create three-dimensional images of your heart and blood vessels.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG, measures the heart’s electrical activity.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Magnetic resonance imaging, better known as cardiac MRI, is a combination of radio waves, magnets, and computer technology to create images of your heart and blood vessels.

Stress tests

Stress tests are used to assess how your heart works during physical activity. There are several types of stress tests, including treadmill or bike stress tests, nuclear stress tests, stress echocardiograms, and chemically induced stress tests.

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MedStar Washington Hospital Center

110 Irving St. NW
Washington, DC 20010

Ask MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute

Have general questions for our heart and vascular program? Email us at AskMHVI@medstar.net. If you have clinically-specific questions, please contact your physician’s office.