Cardiac contractility modulation for heart failure

Excerpt: The primary treatment for most patients with heart failure (HF) is pharmacologic therapy using one or more drugs to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. A subset of patients with HF might also benefit from implantable electronic devices that modify heart rate and rhythm, such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). One manufacturer is now developing a new device that can increase myocardium (heart muscle) contractility, a feature that current devices lack. Use of the device is intended as adjunctive treatment for HF patients receiving optimal medical therapy. Impulse Dynamics NV (Curacao, Netherlands Antilles) is developing cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) to treat HF. The Optimizer III de...