Leads Implantable Devices

January 11, 2024 — It is with great sadness that the Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology (DAIC) team has learned of the passing of Bruce Wilkoff, MD, FHRS, Director of the Cardiac Pacing and ...

Abbott is recalling the Ellipse Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) because electrical failures have been identified and determined to be due to a faulty manufacturing process, causing some aluminum wires to be partially exposed. ICDs which contain aluminum wires that are not fully insulated are prone to electrical shorting of the capacitor. The potential patient impact could be the inability to deliver high voltage therapy. There is currently no available method or procedure to determine which of these devices have this issue prior to failure.

Medtronic has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the Attain Stability Quad MRI SureScan left heart lead. Paired with Medtronic quadripolar cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-D) and -pacemakers (CRT-P), the Attain Stability Quad lead is the only active-fixation left heart lead, according to the company, and is designed for precise lead placement and stability. The lead will be commercially available in the U.S. in summer 2019.

This is a virtual heart with the same electrophysiology characteristics as the real patient being developed to help optimize cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) lead placement. CRT currently has a ...