AMARILLO, TX -- The Heart Hospital at Northwest Texas Hospital is going to be the center of a new clinical trial for a medical device that's the only one of its kind in the U.S.
The new device is similar to a pacemaker and will be used to improve heart function for patients with congestive heart failure.
The "Inovate-HF" system attaches one lead to the heart and the other to the vagus nerve leading to the brain, and when activated, reduces stress to the heart.
"Basically, it allows this part of the nervous system to perform normally, and it gives it a boost. We've had lots of one-yard passes, but what congestive heart failure desperately needs is a 50-yard pass to get patients to the finish line, and it needs to be more than preventing sudden death," according to Dr. Suresh Neelagaru, Cardio Electrophysiologist in Amarillo.
The trial will take five years to complete and they hope to sign up at least 100 patients to participate.
