FDA APPROVES FIRST U.S. HEART FAILURE DEVICE WITH AF SUPPRESSION TECHNOLOGY

St. Jude Medical announced the FDA approved its new cardiac rhythm management device to help manage heart failure patients, including those who have or may develop atrial fibrillation (AF).

The Atlas II + HF CRT-D (cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator) is the first heart failure device in the U.S. to use the AF Suppression algorithm, according to the company. The proprietary algorithm helps control the heart's atrial rhythm by pacing slightly faster than the patient's heart rate. This algorithm has been proven to lower patients' percentage of days with AF symptoms, St. Jude said.

The device is "about the size of a pocket watch" and also uses the company's QuickOpt timing cycle optimization feature for people with CRT-D devices and traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillators that helps physicians program devices' timing, St. Jude said.