Physicians at St. David’s Medical Center among first in nation to implant neurostimulator technology for advanced heart failure
AUSTIN, TEXAS—Doctors at St. David’s Medical Center recently became among the first in the U.S. to implant a new neurostimulator technology to help treat advanced heart failure. The Barostim System is the only technology approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use the nervous system to control heart failure and improve the function of the cardiovascular system. The system features a programmable device that is placed under the patient’s collarbone and sends electrical pulses to baroreceptors, which detect changes in pressure in the carotid artery. This triggers the baroreflex, the body’s main cardiovascular reflex, causing an autonomic, or involuntary, response to the heart. “When the device is activated, it sends impulses through an electrode to the receptors in the carotid artery,” Dr. Jeffrey Apple, a vascular surgeon with Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons who performed the procedure at St. David’s Medical Center, said. “This tricks the body into thinking that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are working correctly. The brain then responds and sends messages to the body that the heart is working properly. This relaxes the blood vessels, slows the heart rate and reduces fluid in the body.” The therapy is designed to restore balance to the autonomic nervous system and thereby reduce the symptoms of heart failure.“This approach to heart failure is designed to improve patients’ quality of life, including those who remain symptomatic despite taking medications and have no other devicebased therapy options,” Andrea Natale, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.H.R.S., F.E.S.C., cardiac electrophysiologist and executive medical director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center, said. “It allows them to live their everyday lives with fewer limitations.”
St. David’s Medical Center, which is part of St. David’s HealthCare, is a full-service medical center offering comprehensive medical care at three locations—St. David’s Medical Center, Heart Hospital of Austin and St. David’s Georgetown Hospital. Located in Central Austin, St. David’s Medical Center includes a 426-bed acute care hospital and a 64-bed rehabilitation hospital providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. It is home to the internationally renowned Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute and St. David’s Neuroscience & Spine Institute. The hospital provides a complete range of women’s services, including its acclaimed maternity unit, maternalfetal medicine, a high-risk maternal and neonatal transport team, the region’s largest Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and The Breast Center; complex surgical services; a comprehensive Bariatric Surgery Center; and a 24-houremergency department. Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David’s Medical Center is one of the world’s preeminent centers dedicated to the latest treatment advances for correcting abnormal heart rhythms such as Atrial Fibrillation (A Fib). The center is led by Executive Medical Director Andrea Natale, M.D., a world-renowned expert in the field. Natale is at the forefront of advancing treatment for A Fib, leading numerous clinical trials and participating in the development of new technologies and procedures. Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, PA For over six decades, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons (CTVS) has been proud to offer Central Texas the most specialized and innovative cardiothoracic and vascular surgical care available. The most sophisticated diagnostic and surgical techniques are provided by more than 25 CTVS surgeons from offices in Central Austin, Williamson County, Hays County and all area hospitals. Individually and collectively, CTVS surgeons have amassed a record of medical “firsts” in Central Texas, including performing the first heart and kidney transplants in the area. Since 1958, the surgeons—along with the clinical team of physician assistants, nurses, and technicians—have shared a commitment to patients, their health and the community. To learn more about Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, please call (512) 459-8753 or visit us online at Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery in Central Texas - CTVS Texas.
Details
December 10, 2021
St. David's Medical Center