May 15-Hurley Medical Center today became the first hospital in Michigan, and among the first hospitals in the United States, to treat patients with an INGENIO™ pacemaker, manufactured by Boston Scientific. Pacemakers are designed to treat bradycardia, a condition in which the heart beats too slowly (usually less than 60 beats per minute), depriving the body of sufficient oxygen. With this new state-of-the-art technology, Hurley cardiologists can remotely monitor the respiratory rate of their heart failure patients, around the clock, from any computer system.

Dr. Samir Elian, Hurley Cardiologist, Dr. George Predeteanu, Hurley Cardiologist,
and 88-year-old patient, Ruth Eddy of Flint

“The INGENIO device enables physicians to treat pacemaker patients with an advanced and comprehensive set of therapies,” said Dr. George Predeteanu, the cardiologist who implanted the first device at Hurley Medical Center. "Its minute ventilation sensor is easy to optimize and will provide needed therapy for patients with chronotropic incompetence to help them feel less fatigued during physical activity,” added Dr. Predeteanu.

"Having access to my patient’s respiratory rates will help me proactively manage their heart failure symptoms and make any medical changes necessary before their symptoms get worse. The goal is to keep patients out of the hospital," said Dr. Samir Elian, Interventional Cardiologist. Dr. Elian’s patient, 88-year-old Ruth Eddy of Flint, received the pacemaker at Hurley on May 15, 2012.

INGENIO™ pacemakers feature RightRate™ technology

INGENIO™ pacemakers feature RightRate™ technology. RightRate™ utilizes Boston Scientific’s minute ventilation (MV) sensor and adds programming options that promote ease of use and time savings in-clinic. Boston Scientific’s MV sensor is the only sensor clinically proven to restore chronotropic competence (CI). CI is the inability of the heart to regulate its rate appropriately in response to physical activity, which may cause patients to feel tired or short of breath during daily activities such as walking or carrying groceries. CI affects up to 42% of pacemaker patients.

Transmits implantable cardiac device data

The INGENIO™ pacemaker will also have the capacity to transmit implantable cardiac device data from the device to physicians and other healthcare providers. Boston Scientific’s new LATITUDE NXT® Remote Patient Management system, currently under review by the FDA, will let physicians conduct remote follow-ups of these device patients to monitor specific device information and heart health status. The system will also detect clinical events between scheduled visits and send relevant data directly to a secure website which can be accessed by physicians. This wireless technology will allow patients to transmit data to physicians from most locations in North America without the need for landline-based technology.