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| Medtronic's Viva CRT-D device with AdaptivCRT technology--Courtesy of Medtronic |
Medtronic ($MDT) has presented a study demonstrating that its implantable defibrillator, which includes a proprietary algorithm that personalizes treatment to an individual, is safer and requires less follow-up healthcare than the conventional version.
The company's cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) with the AdaptivCRT algorithm works by adjusting its parameters automatically in response to changes in patient activity levels and conduction status.
The study found a 61% lower risk of atrial fibrillation-related problems than with conventional CRT-Ds. Healthcare utilization, including hospitalizations, emergency department or clinic visits, was also 55% lower for patients with devices that include AdaptivCRT.
Within 24 months, the reduction in atrial fibrillation-related problems saved an average of $630 per U.S. patient and €130 per patient in Germany. Nearly all of this was from a reduction in subsequent hospitalizations.
Previous data from this trial showed that patients with heart failure who received the AdaptivCRT defibrillators were at a 46% lower risk of spending 48 consecutive hours or more in atrial fibrillation compared to conventional CRT patients.
Medtronic plans to conduct a 3,000 patient global study to evaluate the superiority of CRT with AdaptivCRT therapy in reducing heart failure events and mortality, compared to conventional bi-ventricular pacing. The company markets both a cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker (CRT-P) and a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) with the AdaptivCRT algorithm.
"The study results are clear in showing that CRT devices with adaptive algorithms reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation adverse events and related costs," Dr. Bernd Lemke, head of the Department of Cardiology at Ludenscheid Hospital in Germany, concluded in a statement. "On an individual level, the algorithm's personalized therapy helps keep more patients out of the hospital. On a system-level, this results in savings and less use of healthcare resources."
- here is the press release on the data