New Left-Heart Lead for Cardiac Devices

A left-heart lead that delivers resynchronization therapy for heart failure is designed to offer doctors easier access to the left side of the heart.

In resynchronization therapy, an implantable device delivers electrical stimulation to both sides of the heart to optimize the beating action of the lower chambers. Leads connect the implantable device to the chambers of the heart. The new lead, Attain OTW, is intended for use with the InSync and InSync ICD systems developed by Medtronic, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN, USA). The InSync system is an implantable cardiac resynchronization system, while the InSync ICD is intended to sense from the right ventricle only, preventing inappropriate shocks from double counting due to bi-ventricular sensing.
Because each patient's anatomy is unique and heart failure can result in cardiac remodeling, left-heart lead delivery can be difficult, requiring a variety of leads and delivery tools, says Medtronic. Because of its small body size and distal curves designed for ease of steering and mobility, the Attain OTW is designed to allow implanters to maneuver it through small and medium-sized cardiac veins. Medtronic states that it is the only lead of its kind that can be delivered with both a guidewire and a stylet

"The Attain OTW lead lets me choose among more cardiac veins and access them more easily,” said Bruce L. Wilkoff, M.D., director of cardiac pacing and tachyarrhythmia devices at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (OH, USA). "This allows me to navigate to the left ventricle and place the electrode in the precise position to achieve the best result.”




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