Israel21c is reporting that BioControl Medical (Yehud, Israel) is working on developing a “miniaturo electrical stimulator” for the treatment of congestive heart failure. According to the article, the device is a vagus nerve stimulator and has “therapeutic role in treating heart failure as it may reduce the heart rate and ventricular volumes, in addition to restoring regular rhythm.”
The company explains:
The CardioFit system consists of an electro-stimulator device with a nerve cuff electrode and an intra-cardiac electrogram (EGM) sensor. By continuously monitoring the EGM signal, stimulation is adjusted to the patient’s optimal heart rate. The vagus nerve is stimulated through a propriety tri-polar cuff electrode that provides accurate control over specific nerve fibers, thus avoiding cross activation of undesired fibers. The device is implanted in a short, procedure in which the electrode is positioned around the vagus nerve in the neck and the device is placed in a subcutaneous pocket in the chest…
BVPs (Biventricular pacing devices) as an example are pacemakers that seek to coordinate asynchronous ventricular contractions by programming the activity of the left ventricle to perform in concert with that of the right ventricle. Data show that BVP improves cardiac output, optimizes myocardial energy consumption, and reduces mitral insufficiency. With all of this promise, however, researchers hypothesize that only up to 30% of chronic heart failure patients with moderate to severe symptoms may benefit from this technology.
BioControl’s solution for autonomic disorders offers a more universal therapeutic treatment for myocardial infarction that has the potential to reverse the damage caused by this condition and improve cardiac function.
BioControl’s therapy augments the b-blockers’ sympathetic reduction effect by impacting the heart upon demand via parasympathetic selective neurostimulation.
Three Nitric Oxide Synthases (NOS) enzymes are described in mammalian systems, all of which play a modulatory essential role in the cardiovascular system. Significant changes in NOS expression levels are known to be related to cardiac diseases.
Pre-clinical study data indicates that the long-term application of CardioFit™ therapy enhances NO production and normalizes mRNA and protein expression of all 3 NOS subtypes in the LV myocardium of dogs with HF. Furthermore, in HF-controls, the mRNA and protein expression of endothelial NOS decreased, and the inducible NOS and neuronal NOS significantly increased, in comparison with normal levels. The CardioFit therapy was shown to normalize all. Additionally, overall NO production as determined by nitrate + nitrite pool, decreased in HF-controls compared to normal and significantly increased with the CardioFit therapy.
Israel21c article…
BioControl Medical’s website…
Flashback: Optimizer™ III: Cardiac Contractility Modulation Therapy for CHF
