Last Wednesday, Newman Regional Health interventional cardiologist Dr. Michael Lloyd made medical history with the implementation of a Bluetooth-enabled defibrillator in a patient.
This was the first Bluetooth-connected heart device ever implanted in a patient in the state of Kansas. On KVOE’s Newsmaker segment Monday morning, Dr. Lloyd discussed the device, the procedure and the benefits it provides to those who receive it.
The Abbott Gallant cardioverter defibrillator, which received FDA approval this past July, provides a number of benefits to patients. The device can communicate wirelessly to the physician and also lets patients use an app to get data about their condition 20 times faster than other methods, thus improving patient outcomes.
Dr. Lloyd also says the device provides Ventricular Therapy Insurance which essentially corrects complications within the heart that can often result in death.
Dr. Lloyd says the procedure on Wednesday went smoothly and the patient is doing very well at this time. Additionally, Dr. Llyod says the procedure for implanting the device was very standard, the only difference between it and others was the device itself.
Dr. Lloyd would later state the defibrillator is the “future of device therapy.” Newman expects at least 50 cases per year where the new device can be implanted.
