CoxHealth goes high-tech to prevent sudden cardiac death

CoxHealth cardiologists are using new technological advancements to treat patients at risk for sudden cardiac death.

Two new, implantable devices are smaller and have batteries that are more powerful and longer-lasting than earlier designs.

According to the manufacturer, Dr. Steven Rowe, an interventional cardiologist with Ferrell-Duncan Clinic, was the first provider in the area to implant the COGNIS CRT-D and TELIGEN implantable cardioverter defibrillator devices in patients at risk for heart failure due to irregular heart rhythms.

According to a CoxHealth news release, more than 300,000 people die and unexpectedly every year in the United States from cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac death happens when the heart's electrical rhythms become abnormal and cause the heart to stop.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, are implanted near the shoulder with leads that go inside the heart to monitor the rate and rhythm, detect a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia and electrically shock a patient's heart back to a normal pace.

The TELIGEN ICD is 40 percent smaller and has a more powerful battery to deliver an increasingly stronger jolt of electricity when subsequent shocks fail to restore the heart to a normal rate. The longevity of the battery has improved so the device doesn't have to be replaced as often.

The COGNIS CRT-D combines the defibrillator technology with a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), a type of pacemaker that can synchronize both the right and left sides of the heart when heart rhythms become irregular.

"The devices have been re-engineered to help reduce mortality and improve the quality of life in patients suffering from heart failure. They are the only ones available with a hard-wire back up system, which gives patients peace of mind," Rowe said in the release.[[In-content Ad]]