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FDA approves active-fixation left heart lead for HF
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Medtronic announced that its left heart lead for the treatment of patients with HF has been approved by the FDA.
The lead (Attain Stability Quad MRI SureScan) can be paired with pacemakers and quadripolar cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators from Medtronic. This active-fixation left heart lead is designed for precise stability and placement, according to a press release from the company.
Physicians can fixate the lead in various sizes of veins because the lead has a side helix. Patients treated with this lead in conjunction with a magnetic resonance-conditional CRT device can also undergo MRI scans, according to the release.
“Unfortunately, with present passive-fixation leads, we are not always able to position the lead in an ideal location due to variations in a patient’s anatomy and size of the target vessel,” Steven Zweibel, MD, FACC, FHRS, CCDS, director of electrophysiology at the Hartford Healthcare Heart and Vascular Institute in Connecticut, said in the release. “We also continue to see lead dislodgements that require reprogramming or repeat surgery for lead repositioning. Having a new active-fixation left heart lead allows us to target the ideal location in the patient's vessel with the confidence that the lead will remain in place to allow for continued effective delivery of CRT.”
The lead will be available in the United States in summer 2019, according to the release.
Disclosure: Zweibel reports he speaks and consults for Medtronic.