Piedmont Atlanta Hospital marks milestone with implantable device to treat heart failure

Atlanta, Ga. (December 11, 2025) – Surgeons with Piedmont Heart Institute have successfully completed the 100th Barostim™ Baroreflex Activation Therapy implant procedure at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. Piedmont Atlanta is the second busiest implanting center for Barostim in the world.

“This milestone case reflects our commitment at Piedmont Heart to offering innovative therapies and advancing heart failure care for patients,” said Sagar Damle, M.D., who performed the 100th implant surgery. “As an international leader in cardiovascular research, Piedmont Heart often provides patients access to innovative therapies, like Barostim, earlier.”

Unlike other heart failure device therapies, Barostim contains no hardware in the heart or vasculature. It works by electrically stimulating baroreceptors – sensors on the carotid artery – that tell the nervous system how to regulate heart, kidney and vascular function. These effects reduce the heart’s workload and help it pump more efficiently, helping to restore balance to the autonomic nervous system and improve the symptoms of heart failure. A paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in July 2020 found that Barostim, plus heart failure medications, can improve exercise capacity and quality of life for patients.

“Barostim is an important treatment option for advanced heart failure patients,” said Rajeev Singh, M.D., with the Samsky Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Piedmont Atlanta. “Patients often gain the freedom with the implanted device to return to routine activities that had become difficult for them.”

Dr. Singh referred the 100th patient to Dr. Damle to receive Barostim.

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Essentially, the heart can’t keep up with its workload. People with heart failure often experience shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in lower extremities, weakness, and the reduced ability to perform physical activity. In the United States, heart failure is estimated to affect 6.9 million adults and is expected to increase by 24% to nearly 8.5 million by 2030, according to a study published in the European Society of Cardiology. Overall, heart failure is associated with a four-fold increased risk of death and a six to nine times increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Piedmont Heart Institute has patients from all 50 states. It is a top destination for cardiovascular care, ranking in the top 5 percent in the country.