St Jude Medical initiates new FFR treatment study

St Jude Medical has commenced a new clinical study that will aim to further demonstrate the potential benefits of fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided treatment among heart patients.

The new study will be conducted in Japan, China, India, Korea and Australia, with the intention of assessing the health and budget impact the therapy option could have among patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease.

FFR treatments use St Jude Medical's PressureWire Aeris or PressureWire Certus devices to measure the severity of blood flow blockages in the coronary arteries, making it easier to identify which lesions require stenting.

Previous studies conducted in Europe and the US have shown the therapy is able to deliver improved clinical outcomes, while saving money.

Frank Callaghan, president of St Jude Medical's cardiovascular division, said: "FFR represents a unique opportunity in medicine that aligns with the needs of government – to help make healthcare more affordable, and physicians – to improve care."

Last week, the company launched a new version of its Merlin.net Patient Care Network system, which introduces advanced remote monitoring capabilities for the first time.