Cincinnati - The Christ Hospital is the first in the world to implant the Medtronic ChronicleŽ Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD), a defibrillator that has the dual capability to prevent sudden cardiac arrest by regulating heart rate and monitoring congestive heart failure (CHF). The procedure was performed by Edward Schloss, M.D., director of cardiac electrophysiology at The Heart Center of Greater Cincinnati at The Christ Hospital, April 28 on patient Johnnie of Mt. Healthy. Eugene Chung, M.D., is partnering with Dr. Schloss to determine which patients are eligible to receive the defibrillator, according to guidelines set by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society.
The device will enable physicians at The Christ Hospital to continuously monitor the patient's heart from their office and to detect potential CHF much earlier. The device will measure pressures within the patient's lungs and heart and if the patient begins showing signs of CHF on the Chronicle ICD device, the physician will receive transmitted information from the device and treat the patient accordingly with medication as an outpatient. This would potentially prevent the patient from being admitted to the hospital.
"The Heart Center of Greater Cincinnati at The Christ Hospital is proud to be the first in the world to provide this technology to patients," says Dr. Schloss. "The new technology should have profound impacts on the outcomes of patients suffering from CHF."
The study seeks to determine the safety, efficacy and functionality of the Chronicle ICD when used in heart-failure patients indicated for ICD therapy. Sponsored by Medtronic, the blinded study is a prospective, randomized, multi-center clinical trial at up to 75 sites in the United States involving approximately 850 patients with mild to moderate heart failure.
CHF is a condition in which the muscle of the heart becomes weaker and eventually loses its ability to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Five million Americans have CHF. It is a chronic and often undiagnosed condition that can be life-threatening. CHF is not curable, but can be managed through a variety of treatment options.
"Prior to this new device, patients were only able to receive a defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac arrest," said Dr. Chung. "Patients now have the added benefit of knowing when their heart failure is getting worse. This is a quantum leap forward in our ability to monitor patients - it is real time care."
Different than a heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest is usually caused by an electrical malfunction of the heart called ventricular fibrillation. This is an ineffective quivering of the heart muscle that makes it unable to pump blood through the body. Once the blood stops circulating, a person quickly loses consciousness and the ability to breathe. Defibrillation is the only definitive treatment for this condition. The American Heart Association estimates that over 153,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. It's one of the nation's number one killers and claims more lives than breast cancer, lung cancer and AIDS combined.
Dr. Schloss is an electrophysiologist and Dr. Chung is cardiologist with Ohio Heart & Vascular Center www.ohioheartandvascular.com. The trial is being conducted by the Lindner Clinical Trial Center at The Christ Hospital.
Medtronic, Inc. www.medtronic.com, headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.
The Christ Hospital was ranked 28 out of 6,007 for heart care and heart surgery hospitals in the country evaluated by U.S. News & World Report (July 2005). It was the only heart program in the region recognized and one of only three in all of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
The C
hrist Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The University Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.
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