Overlake Becomes First Hospital in Washington to Offer MultiPoint Pacing Technology for Heart Failure Patients

Bellevue, Wash. – Overlake has become the first medical center in Washington State to utilize the new MultiPoint Pacing technology, featured on the Quadra Assura MP™ cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) defibrillator for treatment of heart failure. Pacemakers using the MPP technology have more points of contact with Pacemakers that use the MultiPoint Pacing technology deliver electrical pulses to multiple locations within the left side of the heart to resynchronize contraction of the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles). It may also increase a heart failure patient’s response to CRT by increasing the amount of cardiac tissue being stimulated at one time and may reduce the need for costly and invasive procedures to readjust the placement of the thin wires, called leads, around the heart.the heart, making them, in many cases, more effective than standard pacemaker technology.

Approximately 23 million people worldwide are afflicted with congestive heart failure and 2 million new cases are diagnosed worldwide each year.

“We are very enthusiastic about being able to offer this new technology to our cardiac patients,” said Dr. Derek Rodrigues, who performed the procedure on a 65-year-old patient. “Because the leads on this pacemaker are in contact with more of the heart, it has potential to improve the heart’s ability to beat more naturally. In addition, MultiPoint Pacing technology essentially acts as a ‘personal trainer for the heart’, remodeling it to be healthier overall.”

According to the American Heart Association, CRT can improve the heart’s efficiency at pumping blood to the body and can lessen symptoms of heart failure, including shortness of breath. However, even with effective placement of the leads around the heart, this kind of therapy is not always effective for some patients. The goal of MultiPoint Pacing technology is to allow physicians to program the device to capture more left-ventricular tissue at one time by pacing at multiple locations in the heart, thus increasing the number of patients who could benefit from this type of therapy. Studies have shown that activating more ventricular tissue faster may enhance heart muscle performance.

“MultiPoint technology represents an important step forward in device efficacy for our heart failure patients,” said Carolyn Holmes, who manages the Invasive Cardiovascular Services team at Overlake. “State-of-the-art cardiac therapies improve our patient’s quality of life in such dramatic ways. It is gratifying to be at the vanguard of these new technologies.”

MultiPoint Pacing technology, from global medical device manufacturer St. Jude Medical, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for commercial use in the U.S. For more information, visit sjm.com.