The cardiology team at Arkansas Heart Hospital today announced that they have successfully performed their first implant using Abbott’s Gallant implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This advancement features compatibility with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Bluetooth communication for a more personalized connection between patients and their doctors.
“The ability for patients to have enhanced connectivity to their doctors via their device implant and a smart phone app is exciting new technology,” said Scott Beau, MD, electrophysiologist and medical director of Arkansas Heart Hospital. "It has the potential to improve patient outcomes by facilitating a collaborative approach to treatment.”
The new Gallant system pairs with Abbott's secure myMerlinPulse, an intuitive mobile smartphone application designed to help streamline communication between doctors and their patients. The app provides access to data, device performance, and transmission history, which helps people take an active role in their healthcare. Through the myMerlinPulse app, physicians can continuously monitor their patients remotely allowing for identification of asymptomatic episodes as well as patient-triggered transmissions, which can lead to earlier intervention.
It is estimated that as many as 6.1 million people in the United States battle cardiac arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms. ICDs are often recommended to help reduce the risks of life-threatening arrhythmias. For patients with heart failure or in situations when the heart's chambers beat out of sync, cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators can be used to restore the heart's natural pattern of beating.