Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Mark Dixon, DO, is the first in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area to implant the Unify Quadra TM cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) and Quartet® Left Ventricular Quadripolar Pacing Lead. The new pacing technology developed by St. Jude Medical offers additional pacing options which can reduce the need for re-operation to reposition a lead and offers physicians the ability to more efficiently and effectively manage the individualized needs of patients with heart failure.
Dixon implanted the Unify Quadra quadripoloar pacing system to regulate and resynchronize the heartbeat of a heart failure patient. The patient was diagnosed with chronic systolic heart failure. The procedure was performed at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana on December 21, 2011.
"This technology is the industry's first quadripolar pacing system and Porter Hospital is proud to be among the first hospitals in the country to implant this state-of-the-art device," said Dixon. "We're committed to providing our patients with smart technology that will help improve their quality of life. We recognize the advancements found in St. Jude Medical's latest CRT device and are excited to have the Unify Quadra as an option for our patients."
CRT-Ds like the Unify Quadra CRT-D are designed to optimize the heart's pumping function and help the heart perform in its most natural state by synchronizing the left and right ventricles of the heart through timed electrical pulses. The Quartet lead features four electrodes on a single, left-ventricular lead (or wire) instead of the current industry standard of two electrodes on a bipolar lead. The additional electrodes provide more ways for a physician to configure an optimal pacing strategy while still implanting the lead in the most stable position.
Ultimately, having four electrodes provides more options to effectively regulate the patient's heartbeat.
Patients receiving St. Jude Medical's Unify Quadra at Porter Hospital can feel more confident in their procedure knowing that the device has more pacing options to reduce the chance of re-operation to manually reposition the lead. Due to differences in individual patient anatomy, or results that can't be seen until the procedure is complete, complications can arise after placing the lead of a CRT device. The Quartet lead's four electrodes can help avoid these complications by providing physicians more options to pace in additional configurations.
Visit the Porter Health System website
Valparaiso Campus
814 LaPorte Avenue
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-263-4600
One example of a pacing complication is a high pacing threshold. Patients who already have scar tissue formed in the heart, possibly as a result of a previous heart attack, may require additional energy from their CRT device, which can wear out the battery more quickly. Another complication that can result is the unintentional stimulation of the diaphragm or the heart's phrenic nerve, which results in hiccup-like symptoms. In both cases, without the ability to select different pacing locations, additional surgery may be needed to reposition the lead wire and repair the electrical stimulation the device provides.
Approximately 10 percent of patients experience pacing-related lead complications and approximately 5 percent require surgical revision. The quadripolar pacing system available in the Unify Quadra CRT -D is expected to become an industry standard as a result of its ability to reduce the impact of these complications on the health care system due to the many health and economic benefits it can provide. The many benefits conferred from the Quartet lead's unconventional pacing have been demonstrated by implanters around the world and reported in a number of published studies.
About Leads
A lead is a long insulated wire that serves as a conduit between an implanted device and the heart. The lead sends electrical signals from the device to the heart to provide therapy needed to address abnormal heart rhythms, The lead also carries information from the heart back to the implanted device, where the data can be used by the device to deliver therapy or make automatic adjustments, and used by physicians to determine optimal device settings and therapies for each patient.