Marshfield Clinic first in state to offer new heart failure treatment
Metro Wire Staff
Marshfield Clinic Health System is the first health care system in Wisconsin—and only the second in the Midwest—to implant what is deemed as the world’s first neuromodulation device for heart failure treatment.
Barostim Neo is a Food and Drug Administration-approved device that is similar to a pacemaker and designed to electrically activate the baroreflex, the body’s main cardiovascular reflex, signaling the brain to regulate cardiovascular function.
According to a news release from Marshfield Clinic, the device activates baroreceptors in the wall of the carotid artery and stimulates the afferent and efferent pathways of the autonomic nervous system. The brain responds to the therapy by modulating efferent pathways, to relax blood vessels, slow the heart rate, and reduce fluid in the body via improved kidney function.
Electrophysiologist Dr. Sanjay Kumar and Vascular Surgeon Dr. Tahlia Weis successfully performed the first two procedures at Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield.
“We are very excited to bring this innovative and cutting edge technology that will address the unmet needs in cardiovascular diseases in the community,” said Harry Singh, cardiovascular service line administrator.
The device is inserted under general anesthesia but is minimally-invasive, performed in an electrophysiology laboratory or catheterization lab as an outpatient procedure. The patients are usually discharged the same day or the next day. Physiological effects include lower heart rate and lower blood pressure, according to the news release.
“This technology will improve patient outcomes, quality of life, and overall cardiovascular health via novel baroreceptor neuromodulation therapy,” said Dr. Milind Shah, medical director, cardiovascular service line. “Patients can experience an improved quality of life and a greater ability to do simple exercises, such as walking without discomfort.”
The Barostim Neo was one of the first therapies to receive the FDA’s coveted “Breakthrough Device Designation,” a distinction reserved for unique therapies that are intended to treat a life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating disease where there is no available treatment alternative.