Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Blogs This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Even Crazy Eddie Knows "Corporations Don't Commit Crimes, People Commit Crimes" - But Biotronik Settles
The deals the government gives are INSANE!!! Just ask Crazy Eddie's former Chief Financial Officer. The Former Crazy Eddie CFO on Impunity Those of a certain age who were in or near the New York area remember Crazy Eddie, a discount appliance and electronics retailer with insane advertisements.As reported by CNN, Sam F Antar, the former Chief Financial Officer of Crazy Eddie, was a speaker on a conference on financial fraud,The U.S. government is losing the war against white collar crime.That's the message from Sam E. Antar, one of the masterminds of the massive Crazy Eddie fraud of the 1980s. 'We are in the golden e...
Source: Health Care Renewal - November 18, 2014 Category: Health Management Tags: Biotronik deception impunity kickbacks legal settlements marketing medical devices Source Type: blogs

Cardiology MCQ 313: Predictors of response to CRT
Predictors of response to CRT from the MADIT-CRT trial a) Nonischemic origin b) Left bundle-branch block c) QRS duration of 150 milliseconds or more d) All of the above ["Click here for the answer with explanation", "Correct Answer:"] d) All of the above Predictors of response to CRT in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial With Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (MADIT-CRT) [Circulation. 2011; 124: 1527-1536] were: female sex, nonischemic origin, left bundle-branch block, QRS duration of 150 milliseconds or more, prior hospitalization for heart failure, left ventricular end-diastolic volume of ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 18, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis MD, DM, FACC, FRCP Edin, FRCP London Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance ECG / Electrophysiology Source Type: blogs

Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices (CIED)
CIED: Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices Dual chamber pacemaker with leads Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices (CIED) are devices implanted for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. These include: Pacemaker: for providing protection against bradycardia. A wide array of functions are available in modern pacemakers including dual chamber atrioventricular synchronous pacing, minimization of ventricular pacing, atrial fibrillation suppression algorithms and automatic capture control by constantly monitoring the pacing threshold so that minimum required output is delivered at all times. Implantable cardiove...
Source: Cardiophile MD - August 13, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis MD, DM, FACC, FRCP Edin, FRCP London Tags: Electrophysiology Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Source Type: blogs

Prediction of superresponders to CRT (cardiac resynchronization therapy)
Various types of responses are possible after implantation of a cardiac resynchronization device (CRT) in a person with heart failure. There could be no response (non-responder), good response (responder), and a super response (superresponder). Some could even have a negative response. Superresponders have a good clinical outcome. Those with wide QRS complex indicating extensive intraventricular conduction disease are likely to have a superresponse. They typically have a QRS duration of 150 milliseconds or more and left bundle branch block. Females and those with no previous infarction are likely to have a better response....
Source: Cardiophile MD - July 5, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: Electrophysiology Source Type: blogs

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) for Heart Failure
In some patients with heart failure, a new kind of pacemaker can re-coordinate the muscular function of the damaged heart, relieving the symptoms of heart failure, and reducing the odds of dying. Read about CRT here. (Source: About.com Heart Disease)
Source: About.com Heart Disease - April 24, 2014 Category: Cardiology Source Type: blogs

MADIT-CRT Long-Term Follow-Up Shows Survival Benefit with CRT-D
MADIT-CRT was an influential trial that showed a reduction in heart failure complications — but not mortality — when cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) was added to an implantable defibrillator in patients with mild heart failure who also had left bundle-branch block (LBBB). Patients in the trial were followed for 2.4 years, raising questions about the long-term effects of CRT. Now, a second look at 854 patients who participated in a follow-up study, presented at the American College of Cardiology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that over the long term, CRT More… (Source: CardioBrief)
Source: CardioBrief - March 30, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Larry Husten Tags: Heart Failure Heart Rhythms CRT ICD MADIT resynchronization Source Type: blogs

New SJM Optisure Defibrillation Lead Has Extra Insulation
St. Jude Medical, having received approval in U.S., Europe, and other markets, is releasing its new high-voltage Optisure defibrillation lead. The device is based on the company’s Durata lead, but with extra insulation at the proximal end of the lead. It’s compatible with all St. Jude Medical implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-D). More about the new lead from the announcement: Based on the established Durata lead design, the Optisure lead features additional Optim insulation at the proximal end of the lead, including under the superior vena c...
Source: Medgadget - March 25, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Radiology Source Type: blogs

Three New Pacemakers from SJM, Including a Quadripolar, Approved in U.S.
St. Jude Medical received FDA approval for its Allure Quadra cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker (CRT-P), as well as for the Assurity and Endurity pacemakers. The Allure Quadra is the first pacemaker approved in the U.S. that provides quadripolar pacing capabilities via the four electrodes on the leads that extend to the heart. Traditional pacemakers are bipolar, limiting the options that the cardiologist has in terms of signal pathways through the myocardium. Because it can be adjusted more effectively after implantation, quadripolar technology can help prevent unnecessary lead repositioning procedures. The Assuri...
Source: Medgadget - March 24, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Source Type: blogs

BIOTRONIK Sentus ProMRI, World’s Smallest MR Conditional Leads CE Marked
BIOTRONIK recently received the European CE Mark and is now releasing its Sentus ProMRI bipolar cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) leads. With a diameter of only 1.6 mm, these are the narrowest MR compatible leads available. Since people on cardiac resynchronization therapy typically have other conditions, keeping open the option of MR imaging can be critical to their continued healthcare. MR compatibility coupled with the narrowness of the new leads should help improve the benefits of cardiac resynchronization for a lot of patients. Press release: CE Approval of the First 4F MR Conditional Lead… (Source: Medgadget)
Source: Medgadget - March 6, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Radiology Source Type: blogs

Subcutaneous ICD
Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillaor (S-ICD) is the term used to designate ICDs which are purely subcutaneous, without any intracardiac leads. It was designed aiming to avoid the problems due to an intravascular lead for defibrillation, which is used in conventional ICD. An S-ICD uses a subcutaneous lead in the parasternal location and the defibrillation current passes between the lead and the active can implanted in the infra-axillary region. As there is no intracardiac lead, it has only facility for short period back up bradycardia pacing. Hence it cannot be used for those with indication for bradycardia pa...
Source: Cardiophile MD - February 23, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: Electrophysiology Source Type: blogs

Cied
CIED: Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Examples of CIED: Pacemaker Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Heart failure device (CRT: Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy; also known as CRT-P) Combo device of CRT with ICD: CRT-D Implantable loop recorder (ILR) (Source: Cardiophile MD)
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 26, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Source Type: blogs

BIOTRONIK Announces Idova 7 High Energy ICDs and CRT-Ds with MR Compatibility
BIOTRONIK has released its Idova 7 series of ICDs (implantable cardioverter-defibrillators) and CRT-Ds (cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators), the only devices with a 45 joule energy delivery that are also MR compatible. The defibrillators are able to recharge their capacitors within ten seconds to get ready for additional shocks, and the battery is promised to last for up to 11 years of operation. Cardiologists tend to identify a patient’s defibrillation threshold (DFT), the amount of energy needed to cardiovert the heart back into a sinus rhythm, before placing the implant. The concern is that this th...
Source: Medgadget - October 10, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Critical Care Source Type: blogs

Biotronik Releases Ilesto DX ICD/CRT-D in US
Having received FDA approval for the Ilesto family of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) / cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices, BIOTRONIK is launching the Ilesto DX platform in the US. Currently, there are two basic options when it comes to ICD/CRT devices. The first are dual lead systems that are able to pace the atrium and detect both ventricular and atrial signals. Having two wires running to the heart, though, increases the chances of complications. A single lead system, on the other hand, only has right ventricular sensing capabilities to detect arrhythmias and can miss high atria...
Source: Medgadget - October 7, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Nishey Wanchoo Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Source Type: blogs

Day 4 ESC 2013 — Female gender and AF, patient selection for CRT and a Dutch cycling adventure
On the last day of ESC2013 I attended a press conference entitled Update in Rhythmology. The purpose was to highlight four rhythm-related studies released at ESC2103. The most noteworthy of the four abstracts involved gender-related issues in atrial fibrillation therapy. French researchers used a 1.6 million patient database (including 1200 French GPs) to come up with about 15,000 atrial fibrillation patients. They then compared the rates of anticoagulation in men and women. There were significant differences–a gender gap if you will. The research team used the words, French women with AF undertreated. I wondered, is...
Source: Dr John M - September 6, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs