- May 26, 2022
- By admin
Cardiac devices that keep the heart beating
Technology plays an important role in cardiac care
Cardiac care has evolved, with technology playing a progressively significant role. With the correct technology and artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), cardiac care professionals have got the impetus to revolutionize treatment methods. Let us investigate the new technology that the industry is providing to humanity and determine the best path forward. Due to lifestyle issues, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have been on the rise around the world and have seen exponential expansion. Artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms, and predictive analytics are just a few of the recent breakthroughs that are helping to improve outcomes and provide value-based care by facilitating early detection and treatment of critically ill patients. Then there’s remote linked care, which uses cloud technology and Bluetooth-enabled cardiac devices to diagnose electrocardiograms (ECGs) and transmit the results to healthcare providers without having to physically visit the clinic. The Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder, developed by Abbott, is the world’s first medical device that can be implanted in the tiniest babies (weighing as little as 700 gms) using a minimally invasive method to treat patent ductus arteriosus or PDA. The Amplatzer Piccolo, a device the size of a pea, now gives hope to premature infants and newborns who require remedial treatment, are non-responsive to medicine, and are at high risk of undergoing surgery. Medtronic, based in Ireland, has similarly been in the vanguard of healthcare transformation, particularly in the cardiac sector. The world’s smallest pacemaker was just launched in India to treat heart block. Micra AV is a small, self-contained pacemaker that uses a minimally invasive technique to deliver sophisticated pacing technology to patients with atrioventricular (AV) block.
Different types of cardiac devices
Pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), biventricular pacemakers, and cardiac loop recorders are examples of cardiac implantable electronic devices that are used to control or monitor irregular heartbeats in persons with specific heart rhythm problems and heart failure. The is device continuously collecting information about your cardiac rhythm after it is implanted. This information is wirelessly communicated to our cardiac device experts, either automatically or manually when you observe symptoms. Without the need for a doctor’s visit, remote monitoring allows us to check your heart’s electrical activity as needed. Tachyarrhythmias, bradyarrhythmias, and medically resistant heart failure all require the use of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) (HF). Recent advances in CIED technology have resulted in creative solutions that solve unmet demands or overcome the inadequacies of traditional devices. Leadless pacemakers, subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and extravascular ICDs avoid the difficulties associated with traditional pacemakers and ICDs.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
Ventricular arrhythmias are life-threatening fast, irregular heartbeats that affect people with severe cardiac disease, heart failure, and some hereditary arrhythmias. An ICD, which provides an electric shock to re-establish a normal cardiac rhythm, may be required in some cases. When previous treatments, such as catheter ablation or medication therapy, have failed to control ventricular arrhythmias, an ICD is frequently recommended.
Pacemakers
Pacemakers are divided into two categories. The classic form is implanted beneath the skin and uses electronic leads to connect to the heart. A smaller pacemaker that does not require transvenous leads is implanted inside the heart. Pacemakers are used to treat bradycardia, which is a condition in which the heart beats too slowly (less than 60 beats per minute). The pacemaker sends electrical pulses to the heart to maintain it beating normally.
Biventricular device
A biventricular pacemaker functions similarly to a typical pacemaker, but it uses a third wire to provide electrical impulses to the heart in order to resynchronize the contractions of the heart’s left lower chambers or ventricles. A biventricular pacemaker, also known as a cardiac resynchronization device, is implanted when drugs fail to relieve the symptoms of heart failure, a condition in which the heart does not pump enough blood to the body and the left chamber does not beat in a coordinated manner. This causes the contractions of the two ventricles to be out of rhythm. The contractions of the left ventricle are coordinated using a resynchronization device.
Implantable Cardiac Loop Recorders
A loop recorder, which is a wireless cardiac monitor, may be recommended by your cardiac electrophysiologist. This device keeps track of your heart’s rhythm for up to three years. The implantable cardiac loop recorder, roughly the size of an AA battery, is inserted beneath the skin of the upper chest to record information about the heart’s electrical activity, similar to an electrocardiogram, or EKG. It’s utilized to determine the cause of the arrhythmia.
References
- How tech innovations impact cardiac care. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.biospectrumindia.com/features/69/19461/how-tech-innovations-impact-cardiac-care.html
- Khan, K., Kim, J. A., Gurgu, A., Khawaja, M., Cozma, D., & Chelu, M. G. (2021). Innovations in Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices. Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-021-07163-5
- Types of Cardiac Devices. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://nyulangone.org/conditions/cardiac-device-management-in-adults/types