A blog about what is new (and old) in the world of active implantable medical devices

Category Archives: Cardiac Pacing

Cardiac pacemakers

Biotronik Launches Single-Pass Dual-Chamber Defibrillation System

Posted on by Posted in Biotronik, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Heart Failure (CHF), Tachycardia

Biotronik announced yesterday the full commercial launch of the Acticor device family, including Acticor DX and CRT-DX devices.  The unique feature of the system is the single-pass lead with its floating atrial sensing rings.   According to the press release:

“When implanted with Biotronik’s Plexa ProMRI S DX lead, the hybrid ICD Acticor systems offer dual-chamber diagnostics without the need for an atrial lead. Importantly, all three Acticor DX devices feature a new DF4 header configuration with a penta-polar electrode lead cable design that simplifies the implant procedure for physicians.”

Medtronic’s Extravascular Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (EV ICD)

Posted on by Posted in Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Medtronic, Tachycardia
Medtronic EV ICD

Image Credit: Medtronic

Things have gone well for Boston Scientific with its subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD). These devices have no transvenous leads, and as such provide a solution for patients at risk for SCD when implantation of a traditional ICD with transvenous leads is not possible or desired.

S-ICDs have their disadvantages though – current models are larger in size because of the high energy they must deliver to defibrillate from a subcutaneous lead (as a reference, Boston Scientific’s EMBLEM S-ICD delivers 80J shocks), and do not provide antitachycardia pacing (ATP) or bradycardia pacing support, except for limited post-shock pacing.

Medtronic is proposing a different approach to Boston Scientific’s. They call it the Extravascular Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (EV ICD), which uses a lead placed under the sternum, which gets the electrodes much closer to the heart than Boston Scientific’s subcutaneous lead.

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DHS Warns of Cybersecurity Exploits Against Some Medtronic Devices

Posted on by Posted in Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Cybersecurity, Medtronic

Pacemaker cybersecurity

The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security has issued a medical advisory warning of vulnerabilities and exploits against Medtronic’s implantable CRM devices and ancillaries.  These exploits could allow an attacker to affect the functionality of the devices or intercept sensitive data.

The exploit affects Medtronic devices that use its Conexus telemetry protocol. Affected devices include all models of the Amplia CRT-D, Claria CRT-D, Compia CRT-D, Concerto CRT-D, Concerto II CRT-D, Consulta CRT-D, Evera ICD, Maximo II CRT-D and ICD, Mirro ICD, Nayamed ND ICD, Primo ICD, Protecta ICD and CRT-D, Secura ICD, Virtuoso ICD, Virtuoso II ICD, Visia AF ICD, Viva CRT-D, the CareLink 2090 Programmer, the 2490C version of its CareLink Monitor and versions 24950 and 24952 of its MyCareLink Monitor.

Medical Advisory (ICSMA-19-080-01) can be read at: https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSMA-19-080-01

 

FDA Approves Biotronik’s Acticor and Rivacor CRM Device Families. Biotronik Changes IPG Shape?

Posted on by Posted in Biotronik, Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Heart Failure (CHF), Tachycardia

Image Credit: Biotronik

FDA has approved Biotronik’s Acticor and Rivacor high-voltage CRM Device Families. According to the press release the six new tachycardia solutions include Rivacor VR-T, Rivacor DR-T, Rivacor HF-T QP, Acticor DX, Acticor CRT-DX Bipolar and Acticor CRT-DX.

The Acticor and Rivacor IPGs have a smooth, elliptical “BIOshape” and are the smallest and slimmest 3 Tesla (3T) MR-conditional CRM devices currently on the market. The devices also feature extended longevity—nearly 15 years for VR-T, 13.5 years for DR-T, 14 years for DX and nine years for CRT.

The Acticor family offers Biotronik’s “DX technology”, which provides atrial diagnostics without an atrial lead. DX systems can detect silent atrial fibrillation for stroke prevention, enhance diagnostic accuracy for better clinical decision-making and allow for dual-chamber supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) discrimination to prevent unnecessary shocks.

The Rivacor HF-T QP offer 20 LV pacing vectors and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) optimization with intelligent CRT AutoAdapt programming to automatically adjust to changes in patient conditions.

Acticor and Rivacor also feature MRI AutoDetect technology, which automatically recognizes when a patient enters an MRI environment and adjusts therapy for the duration of the scan.

Biotronik’s website: https://www.biotronik.com

Pacesetter’s 1973 Rechargeable Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in Alfred E. Mann, Cardiac Pacing, Dr. Robert Fischell, History, Museum, Pacesetter, Power Sources, Rechargeable Batteries, Wireless Power Transmission

Demo of a rechargeable Pacesetter pacemaker at the Udvar-Hazy Center. www.implantable-device.com, David Prutchi PhD

Yesterday I visited the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, VA.  There I found this demo rechargeable pacemaker being displayed as a spinoff of NASA’s technology with the following explanation:

Demo of a rechargeable Pacesetter pacemaker at the Udvar-Hazy Center. www.implantable-device.com, David Prutchi PhD

Pacesetter model BD102 VVI rechargeable pacemaker www.implantable-devices.com David Prutchi PhDI can’t remember exactly where I found the picture of a Pacesetter model BD102 VVI, but the story behind it is documented by Kirk Jeffrey in “Machines in our Hearts”:

“In 1968, Robert Fischell, of the Applied Physics LOaboratory at Johns Hopkins University, and cardiologist Kenneth B. Lewis had begun a collaboration that led in 1973 to a new kind of Ni-Cad battery able to function more effectively at body temperature and hermetically sealable.  Alfred E. Mann, a California entrepreneur with background in the aerospace industry, had provided some financial support to the Hopkins group.  Eventually Mann founded a small company to develop a pacemaker for the rechargeable battery; this was the origin of Pacesetter Systems.  The rechargeable pacemaker reached the market in the summer of 1973, just as CPI introduced its lithium pacer.”

 

St. Jude Implants First US Patient with its Nanostim Leadless Cardiac Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in Cardiac Pacing, Nanostim, St. Jude Medical

IMAGE_Nanostim_Product_Shot[1]

St. Jude today announced the first U.S. implant in the company’s LEADLESS II pivotal trial designed to evaluate the Nanostim™ leadless pacemaker for FDA approval. The world’s first retrievable, non-surgical pacemaker was implanted at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City by Dr. Vivek Reddy.  The LEADLESS II pivotal trial is a prospective, non-randomized, multi-center, international clinical research trial designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Nanostim leadless pacemaker in patients indicated for the device. It is being conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA, and will enroll approximately 670 patients at 50 centers in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

According to the press release:

The Nanostim leadless pacemaker is designed to be placed directly in the heart without the visible surgical pocket, scar and insulated wires (called leads) required for conventional pacemakers. Implanted via the femoral vein with a steerable catheter, the device offers physicians the same pacing therapy through a less-invasive approach as compared to traditional pacemaker procedures that require more extensive surgery. The device is designed to be fully retrievable, so that it can be readily repositioned throughout the implant procedure and later retrieved if necessary.

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Medtronic Performs First Human Implant of its Micra Leadless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Medtronic

Medtronic Micra TPS leadless wireless pacemaker www.implantable-device.com David Prutchi PhD

 

According to the press release:

At one-tenth the size of a conventional pacemaker, and comparable in size to a large vitamin, the Micra TPS is delivered directly into the heart through a catheter inserted in the femoral vein. Once positioned, the pacemaker is securely attached to the heart wall and can be repositioned if needed. The miniature device does not require the use of wires, known as “leads,” to connect to the heart. Attached to the heart via small tines, the pacemaker delivers electrical impulses that pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device.

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Sorin Announces CE Mark and Implant of its MRI-Compatible Kora 100 Pacemaker with Automatic MRI Mode

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, MRI-safe, Sorin

Sorin Kora 100 MRI pacemaker David Prutchi PhD www.implantable-device.com

Sorin announced the CE Mark approval and first implant of its KORA 100 pacing system.

According to the press release:

KORA 100 SR and DR pacemakers when implanted with the Sorin BEFLEX pacing lead enable implanted patients to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safely.[1] Pacemaker patients are typically older than 65 years. This patient population is prone to other medical conditions such as arthritis, cancer or stroke that may require MRI examinations for optimal diagnosis and management.

The KORA 100 pacing system has been designed with both patients and physicians in mind. Device settings which allow safe operation during an MRI examination are automatically enabled when KORA 100 pacemakers detect the scanner’s magnetic field. Similarly the devices sense when a patient leaves the MRI field, and return to normal operation within five minutes. The Automatic MRI Mode feature, which is patented and available exclusively on Sorin Group pacemakers, limits the amount of time that KORA 100 pacemakers operate in MRI mode.

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European Heart Rhythm Association Issues Very Interesting Report on New Devices for the Treatment of Heart Failure

Posted on by Posted in BioControl, Cardiac Pacing, Cardiac Stimulation (other), CardioMEMS, CVRx, Heart Failure (CHF), Impulse Dynamics, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Implantable devices for the treatment of heart failure, David Prutchi, PhD

 

A position paper was published yesterday by the European Heart Rhythm Association reporting on the performance of new devices for the treatment of heart failure (HF). The report has been endorsed by the Heart Failure Association.

The abstract for the paper titled “New devices in heart failure: an European Heart Rhythm Association report” reads:

 Several new devices for the treatment of heart failure (HF) patients have been introduced and are increasingly used in clinical practice or are under clinical evaluation in either observational and/or randomized clinical trials. These devices include cardiac contractility modulation, spinal cord stimulation, carotid sinus nerve stimulation, cervical vagal stimulation, intracardiac atrioventricular nodal vagal stimulation, and implantable hemodynamic monitoring devices. This task force believes that an overview on these technologies is important. Special focus is given to patients with HF New York Heart Association Classes III and IV and narrow QRS complex, who represent the largest group in HF compared with patients with wide QRS complex. An overview on potential device options in addition to optimal medical therapy will be helpful for all physicians treating HF patients.

The report places special focus to patients with HF New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classes III and IV and narrow QRS complex, who represent the largest group in HF compared with patients with wide QRS complex (who are candidates for treatment with cardiac resynchronization therapy – CRT).

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Medtronic Advisa and Revo MRI SureScan Pacemakers Delays Atrial Fibrillation Disease Progression

Posted on by Posted in Atrial Flutter/Fib, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Medtronic

Medtronic Advisa www.implantable-device.com David Prutchi PhD

Results for the MINERVA Trial were presented at the AHA Meeting, showing that  Medtronic Advisa and Revo MRI(TM) SureScan(TM) pacemakers reduce the progression of permanent AF by 61%.  According to the press release:

Presented as a late breaking clinical trial at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013, the MINERVA (MINimizE Right Ventricular pacing to prevent Atrial fibrillation and heart failure) study found that Medtronic pacemakers with atrial antitachycardia pacing (Reactive ATP(TM)), managed ventricular pacing (MVP®) and atrial intervention features were able to significantly decrease the incidence of mortality, cardiovascular hospitalizations or permanent AF at two years compared to pacemakers without these features. The effects of these features were most evident by a significant delay in the progression of atrial tachyarrhythmias to permanent AF, with a 61 percent relative risk reduction at two years.

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St. Jude Acquires Nanostim, Announces CE Mark of World’s First Leadless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in AIMD Business, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Nanostim, St. Jude Medical

cbhayden@me.com

St. Jude Medical today announced the completion of its acquisition of Nanostim, Inc., a privately-owned developer of miniaturized, leadless pacemakers. The acquisition adds the world’s first and only leadless pacemaker to the St. Jude Medical product portfolio.

httpv://youtu.be/P6PLiyzatOo

According to the press release:

Unlike conventional pacemakers that require a more invasive surgery, the Nanostim™ leadless pacemaker is designed to be implanted directly into the heart via a minimally invasive procedure. The device is delivered using a steerable catheter through the femoral vein, eliminating the need to surgically create a pocket for the pacemaker and insulated wires (called leads) that have historically been recognized as the most vulnerable component of pacing systems. The Nanostim leadless pacemaker recently received CE Mark approval and will be available soon in select European markets. It also recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conditional approval for its Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application and pivotal clinical trial protocol to begin evaluating Nanostim leadless technology in the U.S.

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TYRX receives FDA Approval for Fully Resorbable AIGISRx R Antibacterial IPG Envelope

Posted on by Posted in Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Drug Delivery, Infection, TYRX Inc

Tyrx IPG antimicrobial pouch David Prytchi www.implantable-device.com

AIGISRx® is an Antibacterial Envelope that is made from knitted polypropylene mesh substrate, coated with a polyarylate bioresorbable polymer containing two antimicrobial antibiotics, minocycline and rifampin. AIGISRx is a dual component (resorbable and non-resorbable), sterile prosthesis designed to reduce infection and to stabilize the implantable pacemaker or defibrillator when implanted in the body.

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St Jude Receives CE Mark for Quadra Assura MP™ Multipoint CRT-D

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Heart Failure (CHF), St. Jude Medical, Tachycardia

SJM_QuadraAssuraMPSt. Jude Medical today announced CE Mark approval of its next-generation quadripolar device, the Quadra Assura MP™ cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The device features MultiPoint™ Pacing (MPP) technology that enables physicians to pace multiple locations on the left side of the heart. This gives the clinician more choices to best optimize cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) pacing to meet individual patient needs.

According to the press release:

The Quadra Assura MP CRT-D is designed to work with the Quartet™ Lead, which has four electrodes to offer maximum flexibility for different pacing configurations. The new MPP capability allows physicians to program simultaneous or sequential delivery of two left ventricular (LV) pulses per pacing cycle, rather than the standard single pacing pulse. The capability to deliver two LV pulses per cycle allows physicians to tailor CRT pacing for each patient, potentially leading to more effective outcomes compared to single site pacing, which may be particularly beneficial in patients not responding to traditional bi-ventricular pacing therapy.

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Sorin Launches Reply 200 Pacemakers with Sleep Apnea Monitoring

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Sleep Apnea, Sorin

Sorin Reply 200 with apnea monitor David Prutchi PhD www.implantable-device.comSorin announced today CE mark approval and the European commercial launch of the REPLY ™ 200 family of pacemakers featuring Sleep Apnea Monitoring (SAM).  According to the press release:

Sleep apnea is highly prevalent and vastly undiagnosed in pacemaker patients. It increases the mortality risk and the risk of common cardiovascular co-morbidities such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF). Moreover, sleep apnea complicates the management of common cardiovascular co-morbidities.

The REPLY 200 SR and DR pacemakers automatically screen patients for the risk of severe sleep apnea using a highly reliable sensor that measures ventilation. The Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI), calculated and reported by the pacemaker, has been validated against polysomnography, the gold standard method used to diagnose sleep apnea.

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FDA Approves St. Jude’s Ellipse™ and SJM Assura™ Portfolio of ICDs and CRT-D Devices

Posted on by Posted in Cardiac Pacing, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Heart Failure (CHF), St. Jude Medical, Tachycardia

St Jude Medical Assura Ellipse ICD CRT-D www.implantable-device.com David Prutchi PhD

St. Jude Medical announced FDA approval of its next-generation Ellipse™ and SJM Assura™ portfolio of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds). The new devices are designed to lower the risk of lead abrasion and to ensure high-voltage therapy delivery.

According to the announcement:

The Ellipse and SJM Assura family of devices feature the DynamicTx™ Over-Current Detection Algorithm, which automatically adjusts shocking configurations to ensure the delivery of high-voltage therapy even if an electrical short in one portion of the system were to occur. In addition, the next-generation Ellipse and SJM Assura portfolio of implantable defibrillators have a low-friction coating on the device can, which has been demonstrated in testing to significantly reduce the friction between the device and leads. As such, the low-friction coating provides an extra layer of insulation and is designed to reduce the risk for lead-to-can abrasion, the most common type of lead insulation failure in the industry.

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