Singapore: St. Jude Medical, a global medical device company, has launched the Unify Quadra cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) in Japan. The Unify Quadra CRT-D works with the company's first-to-market Quartet left ventricular pacing lead to offer a small quadripolar pacing system that helps physicians effectively and efficiently manage the common challenges of patients with heart failure.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands. It results in the build-up of fluids throughout the body, which can lead to shortness of breath, swelling and heart rhythm abnormalities. The Unify Quadra CRT-D system was designed to help the heart perform in its most natural state by synchronizing the left and right ventricles of the heart through timed electrical pulses.

The quadripolar system integrates multiple pacing configurations and features that provide physicians with more options to better manage common pacing complications without exposing the patient to additional surgeries in order to reposition the lead. This is important because approximately one in 10 patients who receive a CRT system have complications that could require an additional surgery. To date, more than fifty publications have provided clinical evidence supporting the benefits of quadripolar technology to manage common pacing complications, enable better clinical efficiency and provide a greater opportunity for efficacy.

The Unify Quadra CRT-D works with the company's Quartet left ventricular pacing lead. It features four electrodes, rather than the conventional two or less. The additional electrodes allow for multiple pacing configurations, which provide the physician with more pacing options. This includes the ability to pace closer to the base of the left ventricle, which research has consistently shown to provide better patient outcomes and can be difficult to achieve with the conventional two-electrode lead. The quadripolar pacing electrodes also allow physicians to avoid the most common kinds of pacing complications and to pace around scar tissue found in the heart.

Commenting on the technology, Dr Morio Shoda, associate professor, Department of Cardiology at Tokyo Women's Medical University said, "The Unify Quadra is a technological advance for patients that need cardiac resynchronization therapy. With quadripolar technology, I have more pacing options available, which improves the probability for successful response to the therapy."