Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) therapy developer Impulse Dynamics announced that it is appointing Dr. Ishu Rao as its medical director.

Rao previously spent 17 years in a clinical practice treating heart failure patients, with a focus on interventional therapies, according to a news release. He received his cardiology training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., and the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles after completing his residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“I am delighted to join the leadership team at Impulse Dynamics and help contribute to the company’s mission to transform how heart failure is treated,” Rao said in a news release. “Having cared for thousands of patients firsthand for nearly two decades, I’ve seen the devastating burden of this condition on patients and their families. These patients have limited therapeutic options, but cardiac contractility modulation, or CCM therapy, can have a profound impact on their quality of life and is a reason for many of them to feel hopeful again.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Rao to the Impulse Dynamics team,” added Impulse Dynamics CEO Dr. Simos Kedikoglou. “He is an outstanding leader in the cardiology community and will play an instrumental role in helping us establish CCM therapy as a new standard of care for treating heart failure.”

CCM therapy with Impulse Dynamics’ Optimizer Smart implantable system is designed to offer an alternative way to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life in chronic heart failure patients. The device has been proven to strengthen the heart and help it beat more forcibly, according to a news release.

Optimizer Smart has been granted breakthrough device designation from the FDA and is the first and only FDA-approved device in the U.S. or elsewhere made for the delivery of CCM therapy, according to Impulse Dynamics.