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| Medtronic's Visia AF ICD |
Medtronic ($MDT) has launched its heart failure management service in the U.S. It combines data from its implantable cardiac devices with remote patient monitoring to help physicians act early to ward off heart failure events in at-risk patients.
The Beacon Heart Failure Management Service integrates data from Medtronic's implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices with post-acute patient monitoring from Medtronic Care Management Services, the company said in a statement.
Patients who use Beacon will complete daily health checks, which will collect symptomatic and biometrics data as well as teach patients about their condition and self-care practices. The data are combined with diagnostics data from the ICD or CRT device. They are examined by Medtronic care managers, who look for signs for an increased risk of a heart failure event and then notify caregivers. Healthcare providers will also receive a monthly report of the patient's health information.
"With its combination of valuable device diagnostics, day-to-day patient status and symptoms, and expert oversight of a trained care manager, Beacon allows clinicians to better identify, evaluate, and potentially intervene with their high-risk heart failure patients," said Dr. Jawwad Yusuf, a cardiologist at The Stern Cardiovascular Foundation, in the statement.
This is the devicemaker's second heart failure move this week, having announced its $1.1 billion acquisition of HeartWare ($HTWR) on Monday. HeartWare makes the smallest implantable heart failure pump. Congestive heart failure is a collection of symptoms where the heart does not pump enough blood to support the body. It usually develops after an injury to the heart, such as a heart attack, and, according to Medtronic, can cost the U.S. healthcare system about $39 billion each year.
- here's the statement