ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MIABC12 HealthSource: Implant May Save You From a Heart Attack

ABC12 HealthSource: Implant May Save You From a Heart Attack

(06/29/11) --

If you've suffered a heart attack, or had blocked arteries repaired, McLaren Cardiologists want you!

McLaren cardiologists are the only doctors in the area taking part in ALERTS, a major study of a new surgically implanted heart monitor that is hoped to save thousands of lives.

At only 44 years old, Mark Roberson says he has already cheated death more than once, "I done had three heart attacks, two stents put in and my arteries in my legs is clogged up and also in my heart, so they thought I was a good candidate for this device."

The AngelMed alert device is designed to detect heart attacks at their very earliest stages- long before a patient ever shows symptoms.

"The idea behind this device is to perform 24 hour 7 days a week EKG monitoring, says Dr. Majed Nounou, one of three McLaren Interventional Cardiologists involved in the study.

The alert is about the size of a pacemaker, and is implanted the same way- but instead of taking corrective measures the way a pacemaker would, it monitors for signals of plaque ruptures that pose a threat- like a heart attack- and then the patient is signaled through an external device, that looks like a pager or phone.

Mark explains, "it'll vibrate and let you know like a telephone vibrating, that something is wrong, you call your doctor? One beep, then two beeps, you go to the emergency room."

Dr. Nounou says once a patient who has the implant gets to the hospital, they can be scanned and checked, and hopefully saved before any major damage to the heart happens.  "The idea behind this is to get the patients into the hospital as soon as possible to save as much as we can from their heart muscle, because once the artery closes down, every minute matters."

Mark is just grateful for the protection the device will offer, "I got a 4 year old great granddaughter, and we're raising her and yeah, I wanna raise her, I don't want to die."

To get more information about the study, you can call (810) 733-0790.

For more information on AngelMed visit www.angel-med.com