Hannibal Regional First in the Region to Offer Patients a New Hea

Hannibal Regional is the first in the area to offer patients a new wireless monitoring sensor to manage their heart failure. It has been proven to significantly reduce hospital admissions by up to 37% in a clinical study.

"Now we have a wireless sensor chip available called ‘CardioMEMS’ which is implanted in a pulmonary artery. This device painlessly transmits the pressure in the artery which is downloaded to the clinician's computer so we can make decisions about fluid retention and make adjustments to medicines before the condition deteriorates." said Pervez Alvi, MD, a Cardiologist at Hannibal Regional, who performs the procedure.

Penny Kampeter’s mother was recently treated for heart failure at Hannibal Regional. Her mother has suffered from a heart condition for 30 years. About a year ago, her doctor in Saint Louis who had performed open heart surgery to repair a leaky valve in 2011, finally said that “he did all that he could do” for her. But Penny and her mother were not ready to give up. They had heard good things about a cardiologist in Hannibal by the name of Dr. Alvi and they setup a consultation appointment with him. At the consult, Dr. Alvi reviewed her medical history and said, “I don’t have a magic wand but I would sure like to help.” He offered them an option that would provide daily monitoring and would alert healthcare providers at Hannibal Regional if anything needed to be adjusted to Penny’s mother’s medications. Since the procedure, there has been very little swelling in her feet and it has reduced her hospital visits. “It’s been a miracle” said Penny that has changed their lives.

Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization for Americans over age 65 and occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 6 million Americans have heart failure and 900,000 new patients are diagnosed each year. Patients with heart failure are frequently hospitalized, have a reduced quality of life and face a higher risk of death.

“Hannibal Regional is committed to improving patient care by investing in innovative medical technology such as the CardioMEMS to help patients who suffer from a chronic debilitating conditions like heart failure,” said Pranav Parikh, MD and Chief Medical Officer of Hannibal Regional Health System.

Hannibal Regional serves residents of the tri-state area from more than ten locations and includes, Hannibal Regional Medical Group, Complete Family Medicine and Hannibal Regional Foundation. Modern Healthcare recently recognized Hannibal Regional as one of the 2017 Best Places to Work in Healthcare. For more information on Hannibal Regional, visit www.hannibalregional.org.