A Hermiston man is one of only two Oregonians taking part in a national clinical trial that could extend or save the lives of the nation’s 5.1 million heart failure patients.
Ken Fickel of Hermiston and Val Miller of Portland are among the 700 patients that will be taking part in a clinical trial across the nation, according to the Oregonian.
In the trial, a surgical team implants a pacemaker-sized device in the patient’s chest. Attached is a thin wire equipped with a pressure sensor, which reaches into the left atrium. The sensor communicates wirelessly with a patient advisor module, which is about the size of a cellphone.
According to the Oregonian, that module directs the patient to take specific medicines their doctor has prescribed, to back off on those drugs or to make lifestyle adjustments in order to keep their heart failure in check.
Fickel, a retired Department of Transportation employee, had the device implanted in him back in October and said it has dramatically improved his life.
Read the full story on the OregonLive website.
