Healthcare Industry News: arrhythmia
News Release - December 2, 2011
Missouri Baptist Medical Center Physicians Are First in Missouri to Implant New Heart Failure Device
ST. LOUIS, MO -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- Cardiologists at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, one of Missouri's leading heart centers, were the first in the state to implant a new type of cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D), designed to better manage patients with heart failure. CRT-Ds regulate the heart's pumping function and help the heart perform more efficiently by synchronizing the left and right ventricles of the heart through timed electrical pulses.Karthik Ramaswamy, MD, medical director, arrhythmia Center at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, implanted the Unify Quadra™ CRT-D and Quartet® Left Ventricular Quadripolar Pacing Lead yesterday morning in a 52-year-old male patient with cardiomyopathy, a general weakening of the heart muscle. The new pacing technology, developed by St. Jude Medical, offers more options to pace the left side of the heart and allows physicians to better manage the individualized needs of patients with heart failure.
"This new quadripolar pacing system has the ability to regulate and resynchronize the heartbeat of a heart failure patient," said Dr. Ramaswamy. "In some patients, the anatomy of the heart limits the ability of the older devices to deliver the electrical signals that resynchronize the heartbeat. This new lead is designed to overcome many of these challenges and give more patients an improved quality of life."
"Missouri Baptist is pleased to be among the first hospitals in the country to implant this state-of-the-art device," said Ramaswamy. "We're committed to providing our patients with smart technology that can make a real difference in patients' lives."
The Quartet lead features four electrodes on a single, left-ventricular lead (or wire) instead of the current industry standard of two electrodes on a bipolar lead. The additional electrodes provide more ways for a physician to configure an optimal pacing strategy while still implanting the lead in the most stable position. Ultimately, having four electrodes provides more options and fewer side effects to effectively regulate the patient's heartbeat.
Missouri Baptist Medical Center is an 489-bed acute-care hospital known for its top rated Heart Center. Missouri Baptist Medical Center is a member of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and the largest employer in St. Louis. Based in St. Louis, BJC serves residents in Missouri and southern Illinois through its 13 hospitals and multiple health service organizations.
Source: Missouri Baptist Medical Center
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