Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) today touted results for its EffectivCRT alogrithm, which is designed to optimize cardiac resynchronization therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation.
The EffectivCRT feature aims to detect when ventricular pacing “captures” the targeted heart muscle to determine the effectiveness of the treatment, and make adjustments as necessary.
“This technology brings us one step closer to understanding effective left ventricular pacing for AF patients receiving CRT, which has been difficult to manage in the past” Dr. Suneet Mittal, of Ridgewood, N.J.-based Valley Health System’s Arrhythmia Institute, said in prepared remarks. “We can now optimize treatment to a larger patient base, including difficult-to-treat non-responders, to hopefully prevent patients from undergoing additional treatments and often invasive follow-on procedures.”
Medtronic said the EffectiveCRT feature is available on its Claria MRI Quad CRT-D SureScan devices in Europe, which is not cleared for the U.S. market.
The 71-patient, cross-over CRTee study included patients with paroxysmal, persistent or permanent AF; 66 were randomized to either an existing algorithm or the EffectivCRT treatment and 54 completed both arms. Medtronic said the EffectivCRT group increased effective pacing during AF by 7%, from 81% to 88%. p
“Medtronic has made great strides in providing patients with a range of products that incorporate the most advanced technology available to improve CRT response,” added heart failure general manager Dr. David Steinhaus. “We are continually expanding our research and development to create better solutions for improved outcomes, based on individualized care in cardiac rhythm and heart failure devices.”