DMC First In Michigan To Study New Heart Attack Device

Detroit Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute announced its first implant of the AngelMed Guardian cardiac monitor and alert system.

The system is designed to reduce the time it takes patients to get to the emergency room during an impending heart attack. 

Randy Lieberman, M.D., Medical Director, Electrophysiology Services, DMC CVI, performed the first implant in Southeast Michigan, and is among the very first physicians across the United States to implant the experimental device.

The AngelMed Guardian system is designed to track significant changes in the heart's electrical signal and then alert patients to seek medical attention.  The objective of the study is to provide an assessment of the safety and effectiveness of the system.

"This study provides an excellent opportunity for some of our patients who are at high risk of having another heart attack," Lieberman said. "The device is designed to measure changes in the electrical signal of the heart and alert the patient at the earliest onset of a heart attack so that they can get treatment as soon as possible."

According to the American Heart Association, one of every five deaths in the United States is attributable to coronary heart disease. Further, 50 percent of heart-attack fatalities occur within one hour of symptom onset and occur before the patient even reaches the hospital.

The AngelMed Guardian System is comprised of an internal implantable device about the size of a standard pacemaker with a lead into the heart, an external telemetry device, and a programmer that aids physicians in evaluating heart signals.

DMC Cardiovascular Institute is among the first medical facilities to participate in the AngelMed Guardian system trial. To participate in the study, patients must meet various inclusion criteria. For more information on the AngelMed Guardian system or the study protocol, call (313) 745-7025.

Theodore L. Schreiber, M.D., President, DMC Cardiovascular Institute, said "it's very gratifying to be able to offer another innovative procedure to our heart patients. We are committed to providing the very best, world-class care here at the Detroit Medical Center."

This new procedure comes immediately on the heels of DMC Cardiovascular Institute's completion of the first two Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve implants ever achieved in Michigan, earlier this month. That procedure was part of CVI's participation in the Medtronic CoreValve U.S. Clinical Trial. This multi-state trial will evaluate a new, non-surgical alternative to open-heart surgery for patients with severe aortic stenosis.

For more information on this clinical trial and others, visit www.DMCCVI.org .