Medical history has been made in Emporia this week.
On Wednesday, Newman Regional Health interventional cardiologist Dr. Michael Lloyd implanted a Bluetooth-enabled defibrillator in a patient. This is the first Bluetooth-connected heart device implanted in the state.
The Abbott Gallant is a biventricular implantable defibrillator just received FDA approval this past July. The internal defibrillators are for patients at risk of life-threatening heart rhythm issues. The bonus of the Bluetooth-enabled technology is 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.
Newman Regional Health expects at least 50 cases per year where the new defibrillator can be implanted.
