Sorin Launches Heart Failure Treatment Trial

The Sorin Group is enrolling patients in a clinical trial of its Equila neurostimulation device for the treatment of heart failure. The device consists of a small implant that goes under the skin of a patient’s chest and stimulates the vagus nerve via a lead in the neck. The stimulation normalizes an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system that contributes to heart failure, the company said.

If the trial is successful, Equila may eventually provide an alternative to more invasive cardiac implants such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, the Italian devicemaker said.

The first successful implants in the trial were performed at the Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou in Paris. Other patients are being enrolled at a Brussels, Belgium, hospital.

“Vagus nerve stimulation has the potential to expand the clinical indications for device-based therapies for heart failure, and we look forward to bringing this exciting new therapy to the market,” said Sorin CEO André-Michel Ballester. — Elizabeth Orr