New Dual-chamber Heart Pacing Device
An international study, led by Brian Olshansky, MD, cardiologist with UI Heart and Vascular Center at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, could have implications for Medicare patients with heart conditions. Olshansky has these comments:
How many people each year experience sudden cardiac death?
In the United States today, approximately 350,000 people die of sudden cardiac death, that making it one of the most common, if not the most common, cause for death in the United States today.
Explain how/why the study on a new defibrillator with new dual-chamber heart pacing features is considered landmark?
This study involved a defibrillator that is programmed, or used in a standard way, and recommended by Medicare/Medicaid services today, and compared it with a way to allow for the upper and lower chambers of the heart to work together, better.
This defibrillator offers better treatments for patients with respect to stimulation of the upper chambers and for proper detection of rhythm disturbances. A defibrillator is used to stimulate the heart if the heart rate is too slow, but a defibrillator is also used to prevent sudden cardiac death, since it can shock very rapid rhythms. Sometimes the defibrillator shocks a rhythm for which it does not need to shock.
This newer form of defibrillator allows for better detection and more appropriate use of treatment therapies, because shocks, when given inappropriately, hurt and they do no good. This study evaluated that and it's a landmark because it showed that this type of defibrillator, which can offer advantages to patients, is as safe if not safer than the more standard defibrillator that's been used for years.
How many patients were involved in the study worldwide?
This was the largest defibrillator study so far. There were more than 1,500 patients enrolled in this study over a period of about 15 months. The study involved 108 centers throughout the world.
What sort of patient will be affected or could benefit by the results of this study?
The way we organized this study was to include all types of patients who need defibrillators. So any patient, who is at risk for sudden death and could benefit from a defibrillator, would benefit from this newer form of this dual-chamber, heart pacing defibrillator.
How does a study like this affect Medicare?
Medicare and Medicaid services have recommended the use of a very simple, straightforward defibrillator that does not offer the type of options available in the one we evaluated in this study. Based on the results of this study, I think we need to reconsider what types of defibrillators are best for our Medicare patients. And a study like this, I suspect, is going to have a big impact on recommendations made by Medicare in the future.
If a patient wanted to learn more about the dual-chamber heart pacing device, whom would they contact?
They could contact me here at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics through my secretary at 356-2737. |
