Tracking My Fluid Retention

After two hospitalizations due to heart failure fluid retention, my cardiologist suggested I take on a CardioMems fluid sensor.

A small sensor in my artery

Thus, a tiny sensor was inserted in the pulmonary artery by an interventionist cardiologist. I was under minor anesthetic during the insertion.

Now every day I lie on an "electronic" pillow that reads the sensor. The signal is sent to the Advanced Heart Care Clinic for analysis. The mean score I am to meet is 31. Anything above that number is evaluated for treatment.

Success in avoiding hospitalization

Understanding those goals statistically is above my expertise.

However, my cardiologist has stated I have had an 83% drop in heart failure hospitalization in the two years I have used the CardioMems technology. It alerts my health care team to the very beginnings of fluid retention.

Then, I can take appropriate amounts of diuretics before the condition gets out of hand, according to directions from my team. This is much easier than undergoing inpatient admission.