Norton Healthcare is the first hospital system in the region to invest in the Remote Dielectric Sensing (ReDs) system. This equipment will add to the care available for patients in the community with heart failure. The device uses medical radar technology in a wearable vest system, allowing direct and actionable lung fluid measurement. Care providers can immediately read the results and take action.

“With heart failure, the amount of fluid on the lungs is a concern,” said Kelly C. McCants, M.D., cardiologist and heart failure specialist with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure Program. “This technology allows us to respond very quickly to change medication and educate the patient on steps they can take to help reduce their internal fluid.”

The vest will be integrated into a variety of patient care areas throughout Norton Healthcare, specifically in the Norton Audubon Hospital emergency department and intensive care unit as well as during patient office visits as an ongoing monitoring process for patients who are at high risk for fluid retention. The reading takes approximately 90 seconds to process.

By implementing this new protocol, Norton Healthcare providers will be able to establish a baseline fluid volume for heart failure patients that can help tailor future treatment plans.

A grant from the Norton Healthcare Foundation enabled Norton Heart & Vascular Institute to make this investment.

“For the foundation to be able to support a piece of equipment such as this is meaningful,” said Lynnie Meyer, senior vice president and chief development officer, Norton Healthcare. “This technology will improve a patient’s quality of life and has potential to reduce the amount of time they spend in the hospital.”

According to the Heart Failure Society of America, heart failure is a growing problem in the United States. Current estimates point to nearly 6.5 million Americans over age 20 with heart failure. One major study estimates there are 960,000 new heart failure cases annually. Hospitalizations for heart failure are a huge burden on the U.S. health care system. It remains the No. 1 cause of hospitalizations among people on Medicare.

For additional information on the device, call the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Heart Failure Clinic at Norton Audubon Hospital at (502) 636-8266 or refer online here.