EP Lab Digest - May 2008 - (Page 70)

70 NEWS MAY 2008 Pope Benedict XVI Accepts Gift of Defibtech Automated External Defibrillator Churches Can Be Leaders in Public Access Defibrillator Programs efibtech is a designer and manufacturer of AEDs, which revive potential victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) caused by ventricular fibrillation. Vaisnys and Rangoni met with the Pope at a recent papal audience where Vaisnys presented the AED while Rangoni explained to the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics how defibrillators can save victims of SCA. “Pope Benedict was genuinely interested and immediately grasped how a defibrillator can save lives,” Vaisnys said. Health experts estimate that sudden cardiac arrest kills over 400,000 Americans each year. Vatican City is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations: approximately 17,000 visitors arrive each day to see St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Vatican Museums including the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Gardens and Grottos, and other attractions. “Because so many people come to the Vatican each day, it’s an Continued from page 1 D important place to have a defibrillator,”Vaisnys said. “It is very important that AEDs are located in areas frequented by many people — public areas, workplaces, airports, schools and churches, health clubs, hotels and so on.” Churches have been the scenes of numerous defibrillator life-saves, and in many cases, have been leaders in bringing AED programs into their communities. Having an AED where many people congregate is important because immediate resuscitation is vital. Studies show that more than 70 percent of SCA victims who are defibrillated within a minute or two after arrest survive. If defibrillation is delayed for more than 10 minutes, less than 5 percent live. Defibtech and the Italian distributor Mortara previously partnered to deploy 148 AEDs at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Defibtech AEDs can be found throughout the United States, Canada and Europe; in China, India, the Middle East and other parts of Asia, as well as in Australia, South America and Africa. St. Jude Medical Announces Japanese Approval of the Merlin Programmer for Pacemakers, ICDs and CRT Devices T he System is designed to allow quick and efficient programming at the time of implant and at patients' follow-up visits. The Merlin Patient Care System is a powerful, portable computer that is designed to help physicians efficiently conduct cardiac tests, analyze therapeutic and diagnostic data, and program implanted devices for optimal patient care. Physicians can quickly make changes to device therapy through the System's LCD touch-screen to decrease follow-up time. Patients with ICDs, pacemakers or CRT devices require regular follow-up examinations to ensure devices are programmed to provide appropriate therapy and to review a patient's response to programmed therapy. If a patient's condition has changed, clinicians can reprogram device parameters with the Merlin Patient Care System to help protect the patient from abnormal heart rhythms. "We developed the Merlin Patient Care System by observing clinicians in their working environments," said Eric S. Fain, MD, president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. "We sought clinicians' input and listened to their needs, then responded by creating an intuitive system that streamlines workflow and simplifies the programming process." Japan represents the second-largest market for medical devices in the world, and St. Jude Medical (formerly known in Japan as Getz Bros.) has been serving that market since 1925. With an increasingly aging population, there is a strong focus to offer state-of-the-art medical devices in Japan. The Merlin Patient Care System includes numerous benefits for physicians and patients: • A user interface that makes the entire system fast to learn and use. This interface mimics the natural workflow of a clinic to make it easier for clinicians to operate. Continued from page 1 • Enhanced presentation of diagnostics, which consolidates and displays patient information so clinicians can make decisions more quickly. • State-of-the-art hardware and flexible options for future programmer features and accessories. The hardware increases speed and consumes less energy, allowing the system to weigh less. A lighter-weight programmer makes it easier for physicians and nurses to carry and store the programmer between both hospital and patients' office visits. • A session summary screen, which shows a summary of tests performed during an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or pacemaker patient's followup exam. "The Merlin Patient Care System offers significant advantages for clinicians in Japan, including access to a more comprehensive, streamlined patient implant and follow-up system," said Paul Bond, president of St. Jude Medical Japan Co., Ltd.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EP Lab Digest - May 2008

EP Lab Digest - May 2008 Is There an Under-Referral of Women for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation? A Hybrid Approach to the Cure of Atrial Fibrillation Contents Letter from the Editor Spotlight Interview: University of Michigan Health System 10-Minute Interview: Amit J. Shanker, MD Modular EP Units: Are They Possible? One Hospital’s Experience All About My Job: Technician Supervisor (New Column!) Alcohol Septal Ablation in the Cath Lab: What is it All About? About the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society: Interview with Martin J. Gardner, MD, FRCP(C), FACC Email Discussion Group: May 2008 Second Annual Salary Survey My First Year in Electrophysiology: What Have I Got Myself Into? Highlight on Technology: Video-Audio Integration for the EP Lab On the Horizon: A New Remote Catheter Manipulation System Striving for Excellence in the Care of Cardiac Patients Five Reasons to Participate with a Professional Organization Suspected Shunting of Defibrillation Energy in the EP Lab Can Digital Music Players Cause Interference with Implantable Devices? ECG 101: Ambulatory ECG Monitoring Events Calendar Industry News and Products Classifieds Advertisers Index

EP Lab Digest - May 2008

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