Noninvasive lung monitoring device enables earlier heart failure treatment

A noninvasive device for monitoring lung congestion may significantly improve outcomes in heart failure. A new study shows reduced hospitalizations and mortality through earlier intervention and more precise treatment adjustments.

Treatment guided by a noninvasive device to monitor fluid accumulation in the lungs significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Patients receiving device-guided care were 74 percent less likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and 74 percent less likely to die from heart failure over a follow-up period of more than three years.

Researchers attribute these outcomes to earlier detection of lung congestion and more frequent adjustments of treatment. Clinicians modified medications more than twice as often and at earlier stages of fluid accumulation when guided by the CardioSet Edema Guard Monitor.

"This device offers a way to change the treatment of patients with heart failure in order to start treatment early—before the patient starts to experience symptoms," said Michael Kleiner-Shochat, MD, professor and head of the heart failure clinic at Hillel Yaffe Institute of Cardiology in Hadera, Israel, and the study’s first author. "The secret of success is to enable us to intervene at the preclinical stage when the reaction to treatment is more powerful."

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle cannot pump blood effectively or does not relax properly, leading to fluid accumulation in the lungs. This condition – known as lung congestion – is a major driver of hospitalizations. Treatment typically involves diuretics to remove excess fluid. However, timely detection of worsening congestion remains a clinical challenge.

The CardioSet device measures electrical impedance to assess lung fluid levels. As fluid accumulates, resistance to electrical current decreases.

Traditional noninvasive approaches have been limited by signal interference from the chest wall. The CardioSet system addresses this issue by using multiple electrodes to isolate and remove this noise, enabling more accurate detection of small changes in lung fluid levels.

"It’s a simple, scalable device that could be used at each point of care—in clinics and, in the future, in the patient’s home—and you can get indications about the patient’s lung fluid status very quickly," said Kleiner-Shochat.

The randomized study included 150 patients with HFpEF. Half received lung-impedance guided care, while the other half received standard care. Patients were followed for a median of 38.4 months.

Key findings include:

• 74 percent reduction in recurrent heart failure hospitalizations (19 vs. 93 events)
• Longer time to first hospitalization (602 vs. 83 days)
• 60 percent reduction in all-cause mortality
• 74 percent reduction in heart failure-related mortality
• No device-related adverse events

The researchers note that the observed benefits exceed those seen in earlier studies involving heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The results suggest that impedance-guided therapy may be particularly effective in HFpEF.

Future research will focus on validating the approach in multicenter studies across different healthcare settings. The long-term goal is to enable broader use of lung monitoring devices not only in clinics but also in patients’ homes, supporting more proactive and individualized heart failure management.

MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: American College of Cardiology