Medtronic Claria MRI Quad Defibrillator Approved

FDA has approved Medtronic’s Claria MRI Quad Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator (CRT-D) SureScan device for patients with heart failure. The device is approved for scanning in both 1.5 and 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging machines, and features EffectivCRT, a new algorithm that personalizes therapy to individual patients by adjusting pacing rates. “Until now, CRT devices have shown only whether a pacing pulse was sent, but we haven't been able to determine if that stimulation actually improves the heart's pumping ability,” a company release says. “With the Claria device, physicians are now able to verify the effectiveness of left ventricular pacing, which is especially beneficial for improving outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation, who have been difficult to treat because this irregular and rapid heartbeat often interferes with the delivery of effective CRT.”