Finding the right way to manage heart failure can be challenging and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is offering people with advanced heart failure a new option: a next generation device, one that is not yet widely available, called a barostimulation device.

Heart failure, which affects nearly six million adults in the United States, is a condition in which the heart muscle doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. Most people with heart failure experience serious challenges, including severe shortness of breath, that can greatly diminish their quality of life.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for heart failure nor is there a one-size-fits-all method for treating this condition, which has several causes including coronary artery disease, previous heart attack and uncontrolled hypertension. Some people respond well to medications but those who don’t may need a device, such as a defibrillator or pacemaker, which send electrical impulses to the heart to help it pump properly to help their heart function properly.

While devices such as defibrillators or pacemakers are literal lifesavers for some, there are still people who need a different option. Even with existing devices some people’s heart failure continues to worsen. Others, because of the specific type of heart failure they have, are not good candidates for existing devices.

“Despite the many advances in treatments, heart failure continues to be a growing problem in the United States,” said Miguel Manzur, MD, a vascular surgeon at USC-VHH. “Barostim is a cutting-edge therapy that reactivates the body’s natural ability to reverse some of the effects of this debilitating disease by regulating how the brain controls the heart. It involves a straightforward, minimally invasive procedure.”

Barostimulation devices use neuromodulation, which harnesses the power of the brain and nervous system to improve the symptoms of patients with heart failure. These devices are implanted below the collarbone and have an electrode that is attached to the carotid artery rather than the heart. It sends electrical impulses to baroreceptors, located in the wall of the carotid artery, which tell the nervous system how to regulate the body’s cardiovascular system.

The device sends signals that help arteries to relax, making it easier for blood to flow through the body and slows down the heart, allowing more time for the organ to fill with blood. Barostimulation devices are programmed with a small external programmer that allows the therapy to be personalized for each patient’s clinical needs. They can also be turned on and off at will, making it a fully reversible option.

“What I love most is that this therapy has made significant improvements to my patients’ quality of life and symptoms,” said Manzur, who is also an assistant professor of surgery with the division of Vascular Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “This therapy could mean a patient can go back to playing golf or they have the ability to walk their daughter down the aisle. I’m very excited that we can now offer it to patients at USC Verdugo Hospital Hospital.”