Colorado Springs Cardiology is proud to announce that on July 7th, Christopher Kovach, MD, MSc, interventional cardiologist, performed the first implantation of a wireless pulmonary artery pressure monitoring sensor at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in the state of Colorado, a significant milestone for heart failure care in the region.
The procedure took place at the Colorado Springs Cardiology Heart & Vascular Ambulatory Surgery Center, located at 10600 White Diamond Point, Suite 100, reflecting the practice’s ongoing commitment to bringing advanced, hospital-level cardiovascular care to patients in a convenient outpatient setting.
At Colorado Springs Cardiology, we are committed to helping our heart failure patients live healthier, fuller lives through advanced remote monitoring and a dedicated team of cardiovascular specialists. For eligible patients, technologies like CardioMEMS allow us to remotely monitor pulmonary artery pressures from the comfort of home. By identifying subtle changes before symptoms worsen, our team can adjust treatment early, often helping patients avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and improve their quality of life. But exceptional heart failure care is about more than technology. Behind every remote monitoring alert is a compassionate, highly skilled team of heart failure physicians, advanced practice providers, registered nurses, and medical assistants who review patient data, coordinate care, provide education, and partner with patients every step of the way. Together, we are delivering proactive, personalized heart failure care, keeping our patients healthier, at home, and doing the things they love.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump blood as efficiently as it should, and one of the earliest warning signs of worsening heart failure is a rise in pulmonary artery pressure, often appearing weeks before a patient notices any symptoms or requires hospitalization. Until now, catching these early warning signs required repeated in-person visits or a hospital stay.
Dr. Kovach performed the procedure during a minimally invasive right heart catheterization, entirely on an outpatient basis. A small wireless sensor was implanted directly into the pulmonary artery, where it continuously monitors pressure and transmits readings remotely. After the procedure, the patient was discharged home the same day with a portable monitoring system that allows them to take daily readings from home and transmit their pulmonary artery pressure data directly to Colorado Springs Cardiology’s Heart Failure Clinic, where the care team monitors trends closely and reaches out proactively if any adjustments to medications or treatment plans are needed.
The Heart Failure Clinic monitors these readings closely, identifying concerning trends and adjusting medications or treatment plans proactively before a patient ever develops symptoms of decline. Clinical studies have shown that this proactive approach can reduce real-world heart failure hospitalizations by up to 62% in the year following the procedure, giving Colorado Springs Cardiology’s Heart Failure Clinic a powerful new tool to help patients stay out of the hospital and maintain a better quality of life.
This procedure represents another step forward in Colorado Springs Cardiology’s mission to bring the most advanced cardiovascular care directly to patients across Southern Colorado, without the need for a hospital stay.
“Our Heart Failure Clinic now has the ability to monitor our patients’ pulmonary artery pressures remotely and intervene early, before they ever feel the effects of worsening heart failure. Performing this procedure at our ASC means we can offer this level of proactive, personalized monitoring in a comfortable outpatient setting, which is a meaningful advancement for our patients and for how we deliver heart failure care in this community,” said Dr. Christopher Kovach, Colorado Springs Cardiology.
This milestone would not be possible without the dedication of the entire Colorado Springs Cardiology Heart Failure Clinic team, who work tirelessly every day to find, prepare, educate, and monitor our heart failure patients. We are proud to recognize the following team members:
Kimberly Dulaney, MD, CHF Director; Keith Bullinger, MD; Erik Carlson, MD; Deborah Griffin, NP; Hadley Hoffreiter, NP; Vanessa Jones, RN; Olga Rodriguez Bennicoff, RN; Tawni Manalo, CHF Coordinator; Rabiye Bates, MA; Soraya Sargent, MA; Taryn Atencio, MA
Colorado Springs Cardiology’s Heart & Vascular Center offers advanced cardiac and vascular procedures in a convenient outpatient setting in Colorado Springs. Designed with patient comfort, convenience, and clinical excellence in mind, the facility allows the practice to provide advanced cardiovascular procedures in a more accessible and efficient outpatient setting without the need for a hospital stay.
The facility performs a wide range of procedures, including diagnostic and interventional coronary procedures, cardiac electrophysiology procedures, permanent pacemaker and ICD implantation, and diagnostic and interventional peripheral arterial and venous procedures. The Ambulatory Surgery Center is accredited by The Joint Commission, reflecting the practice’s commitment to safe, high quality cardiovascular care and continuous performance improvement.