St Jude's Unify and Fortify CRM devices hit Japan
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
St Jude Medical's Fortify ST implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and Unify cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) have been approved and launched in Japan. The devices, which St Paul, Minnesota firm claims are the smallest of their type, feature advanced battery technology and circuitry that allow for a smaller device, with more energy capacity, faster charge times, and increased longevity. The energy capacity of a device is particularly important for patients who have an enlarged heart, low ejection fraction, advanced heart failure or a high defibrillation threshold. They also incorporate a monitoring algorithm and technology designed to reduce inappropriate and unnecessary shocks. Unify and Fortify gained US premarket approval (PMA) last May (www.clinica.co.uk, 14 May 2010).