A lot to live for

ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY

New device gives heart failure patient hope for future.

Charles Lancaster, 80, has a simple reason for undergoing surgery using a new device designed to improve heart failure symptoms and quality of life: “I’m not ready to go yet.”

Charles Lancaster, a twice-retired military veteran (Navy and Air Force) and retired truck driver, had been suffering from extreme weak spells and fatigue. He met with Cardiac Electrophysiologist Aaditya Vora, MD, who told Lancaster he had an irregular heartbeat, likely from previous heart attacks. Dr. Vora successfully administered a defibrillator to restore normal rhythm. Five years later, when Lancaster began suffering again with weak spells and fatigue, Dr. Vora recommended a newly approved pacemaker-like device that could improve the 80-year-old’s heart function and quality of life.

A unique solution

Lancaster became one of the first patients in Northeast Florida to receive the BAROSTIM NEO® System. This FDA-approved electrical stimulator is implanted under the collarbone with a lead going up to the carotid artery, where it stimulates the heart’s natural blood pressure sensors. These “baroreceptors” detect blood pressure and send information to the brain, which responds by relaxing blood vessels. This slows the heart rate and reduces fluid in the body through improved kidney function. “The device is continuously fine-tuned by medical personnel to provide optimal stimulation to the carotid baroreceptors, which in turn allows the body to turn off many of the negative signals that impact the heart,” said Dr. Vora. It is programmable for each patient’s unique cardiac needs. “We’re excited to bring this new technology to our advanced heart failure patients,” said Erin Moore, MD, a vascular surgeon who has a private practice in Jacksonville and performs surgeries at Baptist Jacksonville. “This implant uses the power of the brain and nervous system to help these patients feel better, be more active and have a better quality of life.” Dr. Moore, Dr. Vora and the Baptist Heart Specialists team performed the first of these implants at Baptist Health.

Physicians at Baptist Health, like Aaditya Vora, MD, strive to provide the most advanced health care for patients with one goal in mind – improving the patient's quality of life.

A centennial goal

Lancaster said he’s feeling better since surgery, and his energy and outlook have improved. “I have people to live for, places to go,” he said. His goal is to reach age 100 so he can keep making memories with his wife of 62 years, his two grown children, five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. “The device is continuously fine-tuned by medical personnel to provide optimal stimulation to the carotid baroreceptors, which in turn allows the body to turn off many of the negative signals that impact the heart.”

Aaditya Vora, MD Electrophysiologist