St. Paul, Minnesota - St Jude Medical Inc. has received European CE Mark approval for the medical industry's first "quadripolar pacing system for cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds)," the company said 20 Oct.
The quadripolar system includes St. Jude's Quartet left ventricular pacing lead which features the company's Optim insulation - a polyurethane and silicone rubber material which offers biostability, flexibility and tear resistance, the statement said.
Cardiac resynchronisation therapy, which can be delivered in an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or a pacemaker, resynchronises the beating of the heart's lower chambers (ventricles), which often beat out of sync in heart failure patients, the statement said.
"This new quadripolar pacing system provides more options for managing the needs of my patients with heart failure and reduces the patient's risk of needing multiple surgical procedures, which should lead to more efficient patient care," said Dr Klaus Gutleben, consultant cardiologist at the Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. (RD)
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