More than 40 heart failure patients so far linked with new app through Horizon<\/p>\n
Published Jul 13, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 6\u00a0days ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Robert Conrad has seen firsthand how a pocket-sized resource can make a big difference in living with a chronic condition.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the e-Edition, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the e-Edition, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to keep reading.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite journalists.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The 72-year-old Kings County man was diagnosed last year with congestive heart failure \u2013 a condition he\u2019s learning to manage through medications and lifestyle changes after a stint in the Saint John Regional Hospital earlier this year.<\/p>\n Once he was released from hospital and returned home, Conrad started to experience extreme dizziness and sleepiness from low blood pressure \u2013 a common side effect of the medications he\u2019s on.<\/p>\n With a few clicks on his cellphone, Conrad was able to log into SeamlessMD, an app that assesses patients\u2019 symptoms and lets them know when they need to seek medical attention based on a traffic light-coded system.<\/p>\n \u201cI called the heart function clinic when I was in the yellow category,\u201d Conrad said. \u201cThe receptionist connected me with my nurse that was assigned to me\u2026 and she called back within 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Morning Email Telegraph-Journal<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWithin three hours, (the doctor) had adjusted my medications.\u201d<\/p>\n Conrad recently shared his gratitude for the cardiac care he\u2019s received through Horizon Health Network. He appeared at a recent Horizon board meeting to talk about the impact doctors and SeamlessMD have had on improving his health.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had a really good experience with the app,\u201d he said. \u201cSince then, my blood pressure has been stabilized, my heart rate is stabilized, my breathing is much better than it has been.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Horizon made the SeamlessMD app available to heart failure patients who are receiving care through one of its heart function clinics.<\/p>\n The app provides reminders, education, symptom-tracking surveys, and videos designed to help patients follow their care plans.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Horizon first started using the Canadian-made application back in 2023. Cardiac surgery patients were the first group to be connected to the app before hip and knee replacement patients were onboarded last year.<\/p>\n To date, 42 heart failure patients have been connected to the SeamlessMD app, with four already having completed their programs, according to Bridget Stack, clinical executive director for Horizon\u2019s cardiac care program.<\/p>\n Cardiac surgical unit operating near capacity<\/p>\n About 1,500 patients receive treatment through Horizon\u2019s heart function clinics across the province, but that figure just scratches the surface of demand for cardiac services.<\/p>\n The cardiac surgery unit is currently operating at about 96 per cent capacity, according to Dr. Chris White, chief of cardiac surgery for the New Brunswick Heart Centre.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re functioning as close to 100 per cent capacity as is possible,\u201d White said at the recent Horizon board meeting, adding that a future hybrid operating suite will \u201cno doubt help us address the waitlist.\u201d<\/p>\n The Holt government recently greenlit a hybrid operating room \u2013 the first of its kind for the province \u2013 for Fredericton\u2019s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, but the Liberals have also indicated that Saint John can expect to see a hybrid OR in the future too.<\/p>\n Although his condition has improved, Conrad is now awaiting tests ahead of potential surgery. He told Horizon board members that he started having health issues at the age of 50, but he didn\u2019t have a family physician at the time \u2013 a circumstance that has fortunately changed for him.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n For cardiac surgery patients without a primary care provider, Stack said the centre has created a dedicated clinic to assist them.<\/p>\n Close to 1,000 cardiac surgeries were performed in 2023 at the New Brunswick Heart Centre, according to the latest available data from Horizon. More than 100 patients from P.E.I. on average undergo cardiac surgery at the New Brunswick centre on an annual basis.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, despite having the same two operating rooms since the inception of the heart centre, we\u2019ve grown our cardiac surgery volume by about 20 per cent over the last number of years,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is really due to the hard work and dedication of the people that work in the program.\u201d<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links New BrunswickNewsSaint John & SouthThe IssuesHealth care More than 40 heart failure patients so far…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9436,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-9435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0707-lb-cardiac-care.jpg\")
Robert Conrad, of Kings County, speaks with Margaret Melanson, president and CEO of Horizon Health Network. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Conrad has been using the SeamlessMD app through Horizon to stay on top of his health. Photo by Barbara Simpson\/Brunswick NewsArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Telegraph-Journal\"](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.1.4\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tj.svg\"){kind=logo}
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