New Device Corrects Heartbeat
Doctors in the Netherlands report success in testing a new pacemaker-like device which can correct atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to a stroke.
The findings were reported in the current issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The implantable heart-shocking device, called the atrioverter, may offer a new treatment for individuals whose hearts are prone to atrial fibrilation.
"This is the first time that an implantable defibrillator has been used to treat atrial defibrillation," says Dr. Hein Wellens, chairman of cardiology at Academic Hospital, Maastricht, the Netherlands. "The defibrillator, which is the size of a beeper, can recognize irregular heart rhythms and then send an automatic shock to an atrium, one of the upper chambers of the heart, to produce a normal rhythm."
Implanted devices such as pacemakers have been used for decades to correct other heart rhythm abnormalities, but until now atrial fibrillation patients have had to rely on drugs or external shock treatments to get their hearts back to a normal rhythm. Implanted defibrillators are already in use to treat irregular heartbeats in a lower part of the heart.
Wellens, writing in the American Heart Association journal, said he found the atrioverter safe and effective.
"But we are still at the beginning of this new approach. We need more information before the device can be considered for widespread use."
The atrioverter is not on the market yet. Its maker, Guidant Corp. of Indianapolis, plans to submit an application this year to the Food and Drug Administration for approval in 1999, company spokeswoman Carol Lindahl said.
Wellens' study included 51 patients from nine countries who had atrial fibrillation that did not respond to drugs. The device restored normal rhythm 96 percent of the time, he said.
Four patients in the study had to have the device removed because of either infection or continued irregular beats.
The implanted defibrillator is a small version of the shock machine with paddles used in hospitals to correct irregular beating of the heart's upper chambers.
Atrial fibrillation can cause rapid heartbeat, palpitations, fainting, and other symptoms. It can reduce blood flow, causing clots to form, which can lead to strokes.
"Atrial fibrillation is a big problem. Doctors have been looking for a better way to treat this for a long time," said Harvard researcher Dr. Mark Josephson, who was not associated with the study. He said about 15 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.
The researchers and outside observers like Josephson cautioned that implanted defibrillator will not help all patients. The shock that corrects the fibrillation can be painful. The device costs about $15,000.