




Healthcare Industry News: FlowCardia
News Release - June 17, 2010
Deborah Heart and Lung Center Debuts New Technology
Advances in Cath Lab and Electrophysiology DepartmentsBROWNS MILLS, N.J.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Deborah Heart and Lung Center, a specialty heart, lung and vascular hospital in Browns Mills has announced that it is the first in the region to use the next generation of defibrillators in its electrophysiology department. As well, Deborah’s cath labs have introduced new state-of-the-art catheter-based devices for patients suffering from peripheral vascular disease (PVD).
Deborah’s electrophysiology team was the first New Jersey hospital to implant the Unify CRT-D and the Fortify ICD (manufactured by St. Jude Medical), both of which recently received FDA approval.
The two new devices offer several key advantages to patients, including the highest amount of energy found in any defibrillator. With the ability to deliver 40 joules, this can be a life-saver for patients who need a strong electrical interface to correct their heart rhythm. These devices are also designed to prevent any unnecessary defibrillation. As well, their streamlined sizes require smaller incisions and less scarring, and with fewer set screws and lead connections they are more comfortable for patients.
A CRT-D device resynchronizes the beating of the heart’s lower chambers, which often beat out of sync in heart failure patients. Nearly 5 million Americans suffer from heart failure. An ICD is an implantable device that treats potentially lethal, abnormally fast heart rhythms which can lead to sudden cardiac death. About 325,000 Americans die from this each year.
“This is an exciting breakthrough for our patients,” said Raffaele Corbisiero, MD, Director of Deborah’s Electromechanical Therapy Institute, “especially for those who have an enlarged heart, low ejection-fraction, advanced heart failure, or who have shown that they need a higher amount of energy to shock their heart back to a normal rhythm.”
In a parallel, simultaneous, new technology introduction, two new devices – Frontrunner and Crosser – are now being used in Deborah’s cath lab to help patients suffering from PVD. Patients with PVD have blockages in the arteries of their limbs causing burning pain, cramping, coldness, changes in skin color, rashes, or ulcers on the legs. Left untreated, PVD can be life-threatening, and can lead to gangrene requiring limb amputation.
Frontrunner and Crosser (commonly known as the “excavator” and the “jackhammer” and respectively manufactured by Cordis Corporation and FlowCardia, Inc.) are two new catheter-delivered devices that help attack those blockages.
“Frontrunner works like an excavator,” said Interventional Cardiologist Jon George, MD. “This device enables us to crack the plaque and create a channel that facilitates angioplasty and can save a limb. Crosser, our ‘jackhammer’ uses high-frequency vibration to navigate across a chronic total occlusion (blockage) in the arteries, and helps prevent more invasive surgery.”
Deborah Heart and Lung Center is a 139-bed teaching hospital with over 50,000 outpatient visits and 6,000 admissions each year.
Source: Deborah Heart and Lung Center
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