DETROIT, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Randy Lieberman, M.D., Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Harper University Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine, successfully implanted a new investigational cardiac medical device for the treatment of heart failure -- the first of its kind to be performed in the state of Michigan.
The pacemaker-like device called the Optimizer System is a pulse generator designed to deliver electrical impulses to the heart for the treatment of moderate-to-severe heart failure. The device is the focus of a national multi-center clinical trial to investigate its safety and effectiveness. Impulse Dynamics, a specialty medical device company located in New York is the manufacturer of the device.
What is Heart Failure - Its Impact?
Heart failure is a disease caused by weak or damaged heart muscle that is unable to pump enough blood throughout the body. If proven safe and effective, the Optimizer System has the potential to help treat heart failure in a large number of patients.
Heart failure is a disease that afflicts over 5 million Americans and an estimated 15 million patients worldwide. It is one of the most common causes of hospitalization and a growing and costly burden to the healthcare system. It is estimated that the U.S. healthcare system will spend a projected $29.6 billion on caring for heart failure patients in 2006.
What is the technology behind the Optimizer?
Cardiac Contractility Modulation, or CCM, is a method for treating failing hearts. Unlike signals generated by other cardiac devices, the CCM signals do not initiate a heart beat. Rather, CCM signals are intended to modify heart cell function in a manner that affects the contractility of the heart muscle.
How is the Optimizer different from other cardiac medical devices?
There are currently no other devices that provide the same therapy as the Optimizer. Pacemakers work to re-establish a normal heart rate through the administration of electrical pacing signals. Defibrillators work to stop abnormal rhythms in a heart that is beating chaotically or too fast by delivering an electric shock. While these devices intend to resolve problems with the heart's rhythm, the Optimizer System is designed to modulate the strength of contraction of the heart muscle rather than its rhythm.
Harper University Hospital is one of nine hospitals operated by the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). It is the region's specialty hospital for treatment of the minor to the most complex cases in cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery, organ transplants and bariatric surgery. The bariatric program at Harper is the first in Michigan to have been awarded disease-specific care certification by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Physicians from across the country refer their patients to Harper University Hospital because it offers their patients Exceptional Doctors. Exceptional Care. The DMC has a combined 2,000-licensed beds, 2,600 affiliated physicians and is the academic health system for Wayne State University School of Medicine, which is one of America's top medical schools.
Harper University HospitalCONTACT: Silvia Zoma for Harper University Hospital, +1-313-745-7637
Web site: http://www.harperhospital.org/
