A Medical Device Daily

St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) reported FDA approval of its first radio frequency (RF) wireless devices to treat patients with heart failure and with potentially lethal heart arrhythmias. The Promote RF CRT-D (cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator) and Current RF ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) feature radio frequency telemetry for wandless communication with programmers used by physicians to interrogate and program devices.

The devices use a dedicated range of frequencies designated for medical devices called the MICS (medical implant communications service) frequency band, which helps to prevent interference from other electronic signals. The MICS technology also includes the capability to choose between 10 channels in order to optimize the telemetry link and avoid interference.

The Promote RF CRT-D allows physicians to electronically reconfigure left ventricular (LV) leads to help optimize the pacing performance of the device without the need to physically reposition the lead. In addition, the devices feature the VIP (ventricular intrinsic preference) algorithm that is designed to allow the patient’s own heart rhythm to prevail when possible. VIP technology actively monitors the heart on a beat-by-beat basis to provide pacing only when needed, which has been shown to be better for patients’ overall heart health.

St. Jude Medical has five major focus areas that include: cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiac surgery, cardiology and neuromodulation.