A new wearable device that dispenses medication under the skin could help save heart failure patients from lengthy hospital stays, researchers have found.
University of Glasgow-led trials found that a wearable mini-pump alongside innovative new medication could help patients with significant cardiac related fluid retention to treat the condition at home.
Led by Dr Ross Campbell and Professor Mark Petrie from the University of Glasgow, the SUBCUT HF II research team trialled the innovative SQ Innovation Inc drug and device combination across multiple hospital sites around in the UK, to assess whether patients with heart failure could safely be managed at home instead of in hospital, allowing them to continue with their daily lives.
The trial found that patients were no more likely to become unwell after treatment and showed similar recoveries to patients who received standard care, which involved hospital stays and intravenous medication. Additionally, the research showed the device was well-tolerated by patients, was found to be easy to use with few complications.
Retired railway traffic coordinator Stephen Allan, 65, from Clarkston near Glasgow, was diagnosed with heart failure in 2015. After almost a decade of treatment, which included having a pacemaker fitted and taking a number of medications, the impact of Stephen’s condition caused him to be admitted to hospital with significant fluid retention in 2024.
Initially treated with intravenous diuretics before joining the SUBCUT HF II study, Stephen was one of the patients asked to trial the new device and drug treatment method. After being shown how to use the device, and monitored in hospital for a short period, Stephen was able to return home where he successfully completed his treatment.
He said: “I had been having lots of problems with fluid retention in my legs that my normal medication alone couldn’t get under control. In April 2024 it got so bad I had to go into hospital for treatment on a drip. After being asked to be part of the trial, they showed me how to use the device myself and make it work – I found it easy to use and had no problems.
“The greatest thing about it is the new treatment method gave me the freedom to get home to family and be more comfortable. Using the device also means that you are not taking up a bed in hospital, which feels like a good thing to be able to do as well. Overall the treatment worked really well, and I’m now on medication to keep my symptoms under control.”
Dr Campbell, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow and consultant cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, co-lead author of the study, said: “This study has shown that we can successfully and safely manage patients with heart failure in their own home, and moreover, that patients are able to administer treatment themselves. This represents an entirely new treatment pathway for the management of patients with heart failure, one that patients have been requesting for decades, but that we have been unable to deliver until now.”
