Boston Scientific announce ICD study results

Boston Scientific has this week announced the results of the Intrinsic right ventricular implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) study. The results of the trial, the largest of its type to date, were published in the Circulation journal.

The study showed that the company’s proprietary AV search hysteresis (AVSH) that reduces right ventricular pacing when the natural rhythm of the heart is present, in combination with dual-chamber pacing, was as efficient as single-chamber pacing in reducing mortality and hospitalisation as a result of heart failure.

Brian Olshansky, director of cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals, said: “The results of this landmark study are important because dual-chamber ICD programming can provide benefits to patients that single-chamber programming may not.”

Mr Olshanksy listed these potential benefits as better detection of arrhythmia and improved heart function.

He added that previous studies had implied that unnecessary right ventricle pacing could be caused by dual-chamber devices, resulting in safety concerns, while this study exhibited that these concerns were not present when the dual-chamber device was combined with the AVSH.

In November 2006, Boston Scientific announced the launch of software designed to enable the left ventricular offset feature present in a number of its cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillators.