MEDTRONIC LAUNCHES AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ON SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST, ROLE OF ICDS

Medtronic has launched a national print, television and online advertising campaign to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), its risk factors and the role of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy, the firm said Jan. 15.

The ads, themed "What's Inside," show the link between medical device technology and the benefits of ICD therapy. The ads are targeted to those who may be at greatest risk of SCA -- anyone who has had a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart failure.

The campaign includes traditional advertising, patient and caregiver information resources, physician education programs and outreach, and ongoing clinical research on SCA and the use of ICD therapy.

"SCA is the one of the nation's leading causes of death -- claiming more lives than breast cancer, lung cancer and HIV/AIDS combined," the firm said. Many of those deaths can be prevented with ICD therapy, according to Steve Mahle, president of Medtronic's Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management division.