Fire1 CEO and president Conor Hanley. Image: Naoise Culhane
Fire1 is currently studying the effectiveness of its remote monitoring device, which aims to help those living with heart failure.
Dublin-based medtech Fire1 has implanted its remote heart failure monitoring device into an Irish patient for the first time.
The device is designed to help clinicians remotely monitor patients suffering from heart failure. Fire1 says the device could help thousands of people in Ireland living with heart failure and reduce the burden on hospital emergency rooms.
The device is undergoing clinical trials to test its safety and effectiveness. The Irish patient was successfully implanted with the device at University Hospital Galway as part of the company’s first in-human clinical investigation of the FIRE1 system in heart failure patients.
The sensor device works by monitoring the size of the inferior vena cava, the body’s largest vein. By monitoring the size of this vein, Fire1 says the device can give a marker of the amount of fluid in the body. High levels of fluid can increase the risk of breathing difficulties and a build-up of fluid in the lungs can lead to an emergency hospital admission.
A belt reader lets the patient take a daily reading of the sensor and automatically sends data to a clinical team. The system is designed to send an alert whenever the patient’s condition deteriorates.
Fire1 CEO and president Conor Hanley said the latest development is a “true clinical research success for Ireland”, as the device was “developed, manufactured and now to be in a clinical trial in Ireland”.
“It showcases Ireland’s capability for groundbreaking medical innovation with the potential to change healthcare delivery globally,” Hanley said. “The Fire1 team is steadfast in our mission to help millions of people around the world living with heart failure to get their normal lives back, but it is very special to be able to give access to people here at home.”
Last year, a heart failure patient in the UK became the first person to be implanted with the Fire1 sensor. Fire1 followed this success with a $25m funding round to increase the pace of development of its heart monitoring device.
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