St. Jude Medical (STJ) Cardiac Pacing Alert For Monday
Seeking Alpha Analyst Since 2010
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (STJ)
The normal heart is a strong, muscular pump a little larger than a fist. It pumps blood continuously through the circulatory system.
* Each day the average heart beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times and pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood.
* In a 70-year lifetime, an average human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times.
Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.
A heartbeat that's too fast is called tachycardia. A heartbeat that's too slow is called bradycardia. Faulty electrical signaling in the heart causes arrhythmias.
During an arrhythmia, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. This can cause symptoms such as fatigue (tiredness), shortness of breath, or fainting. Severe arrhythmias can damage the body's vital organs and may even cause loss of consciousness or death.
Cardiac pacemakers are used to treat bradycardia. These devices monitor the heart and provide electrical stimulation when the heart beats too slowly for each patient's specific physiological requirements. More than 4 million people worldwide have an implanted pacemaker or other cardiac rhythm management device, and an additional 700,000 patients receive the devices each year.
STJ reported the first post-approval implant of the Nanostim(TM) leadless pacemaker in the U.K.
STJ's Nanostim leadless pacemaker is designed to be placed directly in the heart without the visible surgical pocket, scar and insulated wires (called leads) required for conventional pacemakers.
Implanted via the femoral vein with a steerable catheter, STJ's Nanostim offers a less-invasive approach for physicians compared to traditional pacemaker procedures that require more invasive surgery. The device is designed to be fully retrievable so that it can be readily repositioned throughout the implant procedure and later retrieved if necessary.
Traditional pacemakers need a surgically created subcutaneous pocket for the pacemaker and leads running from the device to the heart. Because of this, they are associated with many possible complications that are avoided by STJ's Nanostim, including pocket infections, erosion of the pacemaker through the skin, lead dislodgement and lead fracture or perforation.
STJ's Nanostim leadless pacemaker recently received CE Mark approval and is now available in select European markets. STJ's Nanostim leadless pacemaker is not available for sale in the U.S.
STJ is a global medical device manufacturer dedicated to transforming the treatment of some of the world's most expensive, epidemic diseases.
More about St. Jude Medical, Inc. (STJ) at www.sjm.com
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