Cardiology (see more articles like this)

WHAT: Seventy-three-year-old Charles Ezell suffers from congestive heart failure (CHF) and gained 20-30 pounds from fluid after having open heart surgery at Florida Hospital Orlando.  The Cocoa Beach grandfather was initially given common drugs called diuretics to get rid of the excess salt and water, but began to show some kidney abnormalities as a side-effect of the medications.  That’s when Dr. Pradip Jamnadas, an interventional cardiologist at Florida Hospital, began using aquapherisis, a new technique to remove salt and water from the blood.  Florida Hospital is the first hospital in Central Florida to offer this new technique.

HOW: Aquapheresis works by pulling a small amount of blood from the body through an IV.  Through a system called Aquadex FlexFlow, which consists of an automated machine, disposable filter, and blood tubing set, excess water and salt is filtered out of the blood.  Then, the blood is returned to the patient’s body through a second IV.  The procedure can be done over a period of several hours.  The amount of fluid removed can be regulated on an hourly basis while the patient’s blood pressure is monitored. 

WHY: With congestive heart failure, an inefficient heart can lead to a buildup of excess fluid (“congestion”) which accumulates in the lungs, liver and extremities, causing shortness of breath, decreased function of vital organs, and swelling of the extremities. For heart failure patients suffering from this fluid overload, a condition in which excess salt and water accumulates, time is of the essence.  Traditionally, diuretics have been used to decrease fluid accumulation.  But, for some patients, diuretics can cause side effects such as low potassium or magnesium levels, kidney abnormalities, a drop in blood pressure, or cramping.  Diuretics can also take several weeks to be completely effective. Aquapheresis works in a matter of hours. 

BACKGROUND: CHF is a condition that affects approximately 5 million Americans and is responsible for 1 million annual hospitalizations. This surpasses the number of hospitalizations due to all forms of cancer and heart attacks combined. More than 500,000 new cases of heart failure are diagnosed each year.