Morris Hospital Offers Breakthrough Intervention for Heart Failure Management
June 30, 2025 – A new procedure being performed at Morris Hospital helps improve quality of life and reduce hospitalization for people living with heart failure, a serious and progressive condition that occurs when the heart no longer pumps enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
Called CardioMEMS™ HF System, the procedure involves implanting a tiny sensor about the size of a paperclip into the pulmonary artery during a 30-45 minute right-heart catheterization procedure performed in the Morris Hospital Cath Lab. Once in place, the device is used to capture a daily pulmonary artery pressure reading that is wirelessly transmitted to the heart failure team at Morris Hospital.
According to Dr. Mostafa Ghanim, an interventional cardiologist with Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists who performs the CardioMEMS procedure, an increase in pulmonary artery pressure readings can be a sign that the patient is starting to retain fluid and treatment adjustments are needed, allowing the heart failure team to intervene sooner. For patients, this can mean fewer hospital stays, less anxiety about the condition, and the ability to manage heart failure more effectively from home.
“Managing heart failure poses significant challenges for both patients and clinicians,” said Dr. Ghanim. “By the time there are noticeable symptoms that the condition is worsening, the patient often requires hospitalization and likely has already experienced a drop in heart function.”
“By remotely monitoring pulmonary artery pressure readings with the CardioMEMS system, we can detect worsening heart failure about 2-3 weeks sooner than physical symptoms appear. This allows us to intervene early, improving the patient’s condition, quality of life, and reducing the likelihood of hospitalization.”
The CardioMEMS system may be appropriate for patients who have been hospitalized in the past year as a result of heart failure and meet specific clinical criteria.
For more information about heart failure management and CardioMEMS, call Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists at 815-705-1000.
With locations in Channahon, Dwight, Morris and Ottawa, Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists is a cardiology practice that provides prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, abnormal cholesterol, peripheral artery disease, circulation problems of the lower extremity, irregular heartbeats and arrhythmias. The practice includes two general cardiologists, three interventional cardiologists, an electrophysiologist, and a cardiology nurse practitioner.
