Impulse Dynamics (yes, the company for which I work) launched its new, CE-marked OPTIMIZER™ IVs implantable device for the treatment of heart failure at the 79th Annual Meeting of the German Cardiac Society (Mannheim, Germany, 3–6 April 2013).
The OPTIMIZER™ IVs Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) is a programmable telemetric device intended to treat moderate to severe heart failure resulting from left ventricular dysfunction by monitoring intrinsic cardiac electrical activity and delivering Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) signals during the ventricular absolute refractory period. These electrical signals are intended to influence myocardial properties in patients, thereby reducing their symptoms and improving quality of life and exercise tolerance.
The OPTIMIZER™ IVs IPG was designed to deliver CCM signals during the ventricular absolute refractory period in synchrony with locally-sensed electrical activity. The microprocessor controlled implantable device comprises intracardiac electrogram sensing circuits, control logic, communications circuitry, and circuitry to generate the CCM signals. Electrogram signals are detected from and CCM signals are delivered to the heart using standard chronically-implantable bipolar pacing leads. The implant procedure is similar to implantation procedures for other cardiac rhythm management devices.