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New Defibrillator May Offer 24/7 Surveillance Without Touching the Heart

Press releases may be edited for formatting or style | August 13, 2010

"My husband is a machine operator, and I was always frightened I'd get a phone call from his job telling me he collapsed and died," said Rosario. "I'm not so scared anymore."

In June Carlos became Northwestern Memorial's first subject to be implanted with the Cameron Health S-ICD device. The device implantation takes less than an hour and is far less invasive than implantation of traditional defibrillators. Knight and his team made an incision on the left side of Carlos' chest, next to his rib cage, and a pocket was formed under the skin for the placement of the pulse generator. Two small incisions were made to the left of the breastbone to place the electrode under the skin, and then the electrode and generator were connected by wires.

"He only needed a few weeks of rest and recovery, and he's already back to work," said Rosario.

Cameron Health representatives visited Carlos' job site to detect any electrical interference to the device from the machines he works with so that Carlos and his physicians could make adjustments accordingly. Carlos will continue to be monitored by Northwestern Memorial physicians every three months.

"I feel like I've been given an opportunity of life," said Carlos. "Compared to the horror stories I've heard about other models, this device is a big improvement and very comfortable. It is designed to prevent sudden cardiac death and not give me shocks unnecessarily, so that I should be able to have a more normal life."

For more information about the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, visit www.heart.nmh.org.

About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare

Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is the parent corporation of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, an 854-bed academic medical center hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, a 215-bed community hospital located in Lake Forest, Illinois.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the country's premier academic medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital comprises 854 beds, 1,603 affiliated physicians and 7,144 employees. Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.

Northwestern Memorial possesses nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence, and it is listed in 12 clinical specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 "America's Best Hospitals" guide. For 10 years running, it has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 11 years.

SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital
http://www.nmh.org

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