Personalized moment-to-moment care with HeartPOD

The HeartPOD is an experimental device designed for the personal monitoring of heart conditions. It consists of two parts; a permanently implanted intracardiac sensor that continually measures left atrial pressure, intracardiac electrogram, and core body temperature, and a rebranded Handspring Visor called the Patient Advisory Module (PAM). Patients can use the information to adjust, in real-time, their medication dosage and other factors influencing their heart condition. This is akin to glucose meters used by diabetics to adjust insulin dosage.

The dynamic device is implanted via a simple procedure, much like pacemaker insertion, and communicates with PAM wirelessly. PAM then analyzes the raw data according to set parameters defined by the patient’s physician, and provides the patient with treatment instructions using what Savacor, the device maker, calls DynamicRx. By providing a reliable source of self-care, patients reduce their need for a physician’s moment-to-moment intervention.