Research In Brief

Leadless ICD: Cameron Health's leadless S-ICD system, the first minimally invasive, subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest, detected 100% of induced and spontaneous episodes of irregular heart rhythms, according to data from four studies appearing online in the New England Journal of Medicine May 12, in conjunction with the HRS meeting. S-ICD implantation is simpler because it does not require transvenous lead insertion, the firm notes. "These studies suggest that the S-ICD System is a viable alternative that may overcome some of the problems associated with transvenous ICDs in certain patients," said Cameron Health co-founder and lead study author Gust Bardy, M.D., Seattle Institute for Cardiac Research. The firm began a pivotal trial March 18 to support U.S. approval of the device (1"The Gray Sheet" March 29, 2010)