Medtronic just announced that its Claria MRI Quad Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator (CRT-D) SureScan implant has been approved for use on patients with heart failure. The “MRI” in the name of the device indicates that its safe for magnetic resonance scanning in both 1.5 and 3 Tesla machines, given certain precautions.
The device features the firm’s EffectivCRT algorithm that assesses the outcome of each stimulation of the left ventricle and adjusts therapy accordingly. Because a lot of people treated with CRT-D’s suffer from atrial fibrillation, the effectiveness of the therapy is often muddled by unexpected signals arising from within the heart. The new device is able to take into account the irregular heartbeats and modulate the pulses it delivers so as to maintain a healthy beat rate.
A more complete device features list according to the announcement:
- The AdaptivCRT(TM) algorithm, which reduces a patient’s odds of a 30-day heart failure readmission by 59 percent, and has demonstrated a 46 percent reduction in AF risk compared to echo-optimized biventricular pacing.
- VectorExpress(TM) 2.0, an automated in-office test that reduces lead programing to two minutes, and reveals clinically actionable information to help physicians select optimal pacing configurations for each patient.
- Attain(TM) Perfoma(TM) MRI SureScan(TM) Quadripolar Leads, which include short bipolar spacing to reduce phrenic nerve stimulation occurrence, steroid on all electrodes, and three shapes for varying patient anatomies.
- SureScan(TM) MR-conditional labeling for full-body scans without positioning restrictions. Medtronic now offers MR-conditional pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) and CRT-Ds. Additionally, patients with certain existing defibrillation leads will be eligible for an MR-conditional ICD or CRT-D, and thus able to access this important imaging technology.
Via: Medtronic…