Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) AdaptivCRT self-regulating defibrillators may help take a chunk out of healthcare costs by slashing certain follow-up care for patients with heart failure, according to the latest results from an ongoing analysis.
New results from the Adaptive CRT clinical trial (randomized, double-blind) showed a 55% reduction in atrial fibrillation-related "healthcare utilizations," such as hospitalizations, emergency department or clinic visits, compared with patients who received conventional biventricular pacing.
The AdaptivCRT self-regulating cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators create tailored treatment regimens by adjusting automatically to a patient’s heart rhythms. Previous analyses have found that the proprietary sensing and adjustment algorithms may increase the appropriate therapy response rate and help reduce a patient’s risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
The new analyses, from data on 476 patients, found a dramatic reduction in follow-up care as well as a 61% reduction in the risk of atrial fibrillation-related problems, according to a Medtronic statement. Healthcare providers in the U.S. and Germany realized 12-month cost savings of $630 USD and €130, respectively, nearly all of which came from a reduction in hospitalizations.
"The study results are clear in showing that CRT devices with adaptive algorithms reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation adverse events and related costs," Lüdenscheid Hospital cardiology head Dr. Prof. Dr. Med. Bernd Lemke said on Medtronic’s behalf. "On an individual level, the algorithm’s personalized therapy helps keep more patients out of the hospital. On a system-level, this results in savings and less use of healthcare resources."
Reductions in follow-up care is a prime selling point for hospitals in the U.S., especially as federal health programs roll back reimbursement for 30-day patient readmissions.
The AdaptivCRT technology is already available in Medtronic’s Viva CRT-D and Viva CRT-P devices. Medtronic’s Viva devices won CE Mark approval in the European Union in 2012 and approval from the FDA last year.*
*Corrected: The FDA win for the Viva device was a premarket approval, not 510(k) clearance.
