Patient Guide to the Barostim Procedure for Heart Failure
If you’re living with heart failure and your symptoms—like shortness of breath, fatigue, or difficulty with daily activities—persist despite medications, the Barostim procedure might be an option worth exploring. This guide will walk you through what Barostim is, how it works, what to expect during the procedure, and how it could improve your quality of life.
At Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Spine Specialists, we have extensive experience and expertise with anterior neck and para-carotid surgery and provide the highest-quality care in surgical and non-surgical neurosurgical care.
To learn more about the Barostim procedure, call the office today or request an appointment online.
This guide will help you understand the condition, the procedure, its benefits, risks, and the recovery process.
What is Barostim?
Barostim is an innovative, FDA-approved treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), where the heart struggles to pump blood effectively. Unlike pacemakers or defibrillators, Barostim doesn’t directly interact with your heart. Instead, it’s a small implantable device that uses neuromodulation—electrical signals to stimulate the nervous system—to help your body regulate heart function more naturally. It is designed for patients who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy and are not candidates for other devices like cardiac resynchronization therapy.
How Does It Work?
Your body has natural sensors in the carotid artery in your neck called baroreceptors. These sensors tell your brain how to adjust blood pressure and heart activity. In heart failure, these signals weaken, causing your brain to overreact with stress responses that worsen symptoms. Barostim delivers gentle electrical pulses to these baroreceptors, amplifying their signals. This tricks your brain into calming the stress response, relaxing blood vessels, reducing fluid buildup, and easing the workload on your heart. Over time, this can improve your energy, exercise ability, and overall well-being.
Who Qualifies?
Barostim may be right for you if you have heart failure with an ejection fraction of 35% or less, are on guideline-directed medications, and still experience activity-limiting symptoms. Your doctor will also consider factors like your heart failure class (typically NYHA Class II or III) and a blood test called NT-proBNP. It is not for everyone, so a cardiologist will evaluate your specific condition.
The Procedure
The Barostim implant is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, usually taking about 45 minutes. You will be under general anesthesia. The surgeon makes a small incision (about 1 inch) on the right side of your neck to place a tiny electrode on your carotid artery. A second incision (about 2 inches) below your collarbone creates a pocket for the device, which looks like a pacemaker. A wire connects the electrode and the generator. Patients go home the same day and resume normal, non-strenuous activities within 24-72 hours. Your doctor will provide specific recovery instructions.
After the Procedure
Once implanted, Barostim is programmed and adjusted over several visits (often monthly for the first few months) to optimize its effects. You will not feel it working—it is automatic and continuous. Full benefits, like better exercise capacity or reduced shortness of breath, typically emerge within 3-6 months. You will still need your heart failure medications unless your cardiologist advises otherwise.
Benefits and Risks
Studies show Barostim can significantly boost quality of life—patients often walk farther, feel less fatigued, and enjoy activities they’d given up. Risks are similar to those of pacemaker surgery, including infection or discomfort at the implant site, but serious complications are rare.
Next Steps
Talk to your cardiologist about whether Barostim fits your treatment plan. Bring a list of your symptoms, medications, and questions to discuss. It is a step toward reclaiming the life heart failure may have limited.
To learn how you can benefit from the Barostim implant surgery, call Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Spine Specialists today, or book an appointment online.
