The investigational Medtronic Pacer-Cardioverter-Defibrillator successfully detected and treated spontaneous tachyarrhythmias in 6 of 10 patients, with 0 deaths over a mean 13.8 months of follow-up.
Observational (n=10)
Ten consecutive patients (mean age 57.9 +/- 7.6 years) were treated with an investigational tachyarrhythmia control device, the implantable Medtronic Pacer-, Cardioverter-, Defibrillator model 7216A or 7217B. All patients had coronary artery disease with old myocardial infarctions and presented hemodynamically significant sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias not suppressed by antiarrhythmic drug therapy and unrelated to acute myocardial infarction. In two patients a nonthoracotomy lead system was implanted. Lowest effective defibrillation energy ranged from 5 to 18 joules (mean 12.2 +/- 4 joules) for the epicardial bielectrode systems and were 15 and 18 joules for the nonthoracotomy lead system implants. The postoperative periods were unremarkable. Follow-up ranged from 7 to 19 months (mean 13.8 +/- 4.5 months). Spontaneous tachyarrhythmia episodes were detected and treated by the device in six patients, five of them received staged therapies. No deaths occurred and no hospital admissions were necessary for device related or ventricular tachyarrhythmia related complications. In conclusion, this integrated device represents a major step toward the development of a universal ventricular arrhythmia control device.
Fromer et al. (Thu,) conducted a observational in Recurrent sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias (n=10). Medtronic Pacer-, Cardioverter-, Defibrillator model 7216A or 7217B was evaluated. The investigational Medtronic Pacer-Cardioverter-Defibrillator successfully detected and treated spontaneous tachyarrhythmias in 6 of 10 patients, with 0 deaths over a mean 13.8 months of follow-up.