Lenox Hill Hospital First in NYC to Perform Groundbreaking Procedure to Treat Heart Failure

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Lenox Hill Hospital physicians Alfio Carroccio, MD, chief of vascular surgery and Stavros Mountantonakis, MD, director of electrophysiology are the first in New York City to implant an revolutionary device called BarostimTM that stimulates nerve endings in the carotid artery to improve outcomes for patients with a certain type of heart failure.

BarostimTM is the world’s first FDA-approved implantable device that works by stimulating baroreceptors, nerve endings that sense changes in blood pressure and direct the nervous system on how to regulate the heart, kidneys, and vascular function. This continuous stimulation reduces the heart’s workload prompting it to pump blood more efficiently, thus alleviating the symptoms of heart failure. The innovative device – designed for patients who have had little to no success with other treatment options – is not a pacemaker or defibrillator and does not require insertion of any hardware into the heart or blood vessels.

Lenox Hill’s first Barostim patient, Boguslaw Micek, 55, received the implant in July 2022. Mr. Micek suffered from chronic heart failure due to coronary artery disease and hypertension. He sustained a heart attack in February 2021 and despite extensive medical therapy, including using a defibrillator, his heart health continued to deteriorate. The surgery was performed with the goal of improving Mr. Micek’s quality of life and reducing hospitalizations.

“We are extremely proud to be a part of this innovative step to curbing heart disease,” said Dr. Carroccio. “This is the latest addition to the multifaceted approach Lenox Hill Hospital utilizes to improving the lives of our heart patients.”

Clinical trials have demonstrated a better quality of life for patients – Barostim patients had three times greater improvement in quality-of-life scores and were able to walk 60 meters farther in 6 minutes than patients on medications alone. Previous studies have also suggested that Barostim may result in a reduction in the frequency and length of hospitalizations, and a decrease in other serious cardiovascular events, such as arrhythmias, anginas, and heart attacks.

“For many years, we have been prescribing medications to block the over-activation of the nervous system in patients with heart failure. For the first time now, we can communicate with the brain directly with this technology and modulate its function in a favorable way for the heart,” said Dr. Mountantonakis. “It is a groundbreaking therapeutic method that is proven to improve the quality of life for many patients with heart disease.”

Affecting more than six million adults in the United States, heart failure is a condition where the heart is not able to adequately supply blood to meet the body‘s needs. This can occur when the heart cannot fill up with enough blood or is too weak to pump properly. Heart failure can be caused by several conditions including coronary heart disease, inflammation, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, or irregular heartbeat. Patients are often unaware they have heart failure as symptoms can be confused with signs of old age. Common symptoms include, shortness of breath, dry cough, swelling of feet, ankles and legs, increased urination, fluid buildup in the stomach and neck. A doctor’s diagnosis would be made through an investigation into family and medical history, a physical examination and results from blood tests and imaging.

If left untreated, heart failure can lead to other conditions including pulmonary hypertension, heart valve disease and even cardiac arrest which can be deadly. Conservative measures can be made to treat heart failure, including medication and lifestyle changes – which consist of diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. If the prognosis is more severe, however, surgical options are available. This can include implantation of devices like Barostim or a defibrillator or, in more serious cases, bypass surgery, valve replacement or a heart transplant.

Lenox Hill Hospital holds a national reputation for cardiovascular care. The hospital has been ranked number 15 in the nation for 2022-23 in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospital Survey. It is also rated number two in coronary intervention procedures in New York State, according to Healthgrades. In addition, Healthgrades recognized Lenox Hill among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care for nine consecutive years and America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Award for 11 consecutive years. Lenox Hill was also awarded the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ three-star quality rating for two complex heart procedures. Lastly, the hospital was named among the “World’s Best Specialized Hospital” for 2022 in cardiology by Newsweek, which evaluated medical facilities across 27 countries.