All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

WVU Heart and Vascular Institute participating in heart failure device study

The Cordella Pulmonary Artery Pressure Sensor System

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Heart and Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure team was the first in West Virginia to implant the Cordella Pulmonary Artery Pressure Sensor System as part of the PROACTIVE-HF Pivotal Trial sponsored by Endotronix. The study aims to reduce hospitalization in heart failure patients over two years. 

The Cordella wireless sensor is implanted during a minimally invasive right heart catheterization procedure and seamlessly integrates pulmonary artery pressure measurements into the comprehensive Cordella Heart Failure System for proactive heart failure management through apps that are accessible by the patient and their physicians. 

“This technology gives us a new way to gain perspective on the status of our patients in heart failure. We are able to access their readings electronically in real time to monitor how their disease is advancing and whether their medications need to be adjusted or if they need physician intervention,” George Sokos, D.O., WVU Heart and Vascular Institute Cardiology associate chief and Advanced Heart Failure Program medical director, said.

“We hope that this, combined with the patient’s ability to monitor their status using a smart phone, will reduce the number of emergency department visits and inpatient stays.”

The team involved in the research study includes Ramesh Daggubati, M.D., WVU Heart and Vascular Institute interim Cardiology chief and Structural Heart Disease director; Affan Haleem, M.D., interventional cardiologist; Marco Caccamo, D.O., Advanced Heart Failure Program Pulmonary Hypertension and Mechanical Circulatory Support assistant director; Christopher Bianco, D.O., medical director of Cardio-Oncology; and Kevin Felpel, D.O., heart failure cardiologist. 

Several patients at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute have undergone placement of the device and are responding well. Those interested in participating in the study can call the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute at 855-WVU-CARE.

For more information on the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Heart. 

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