News
Press Release
New heart rhythm management technologies
available at Memorial Medical Center
MODESTO –November 2, 2009 – Two cutting-edge forms of heart rhythm management technology are now available for patients at Memorial Medical Center: the Accent™ RF pacemaker and the SJ4 connector system for implantable defibrillators, both developed by St. Jude Medical. These technologies are covered by insurance and meet national health care guidelines by decreasing medical costs and emergency room visits while enhancing the quality of care.
“We are pleased to be one of the first hospitals selected to have this new technology available for our patients,” says Charles C. Tsai, MD, FACC, Certified Cardiac Device Specialist.
Memorial is committed to providing convenient, local access to high quality, patient-focused care administered by a skilled and experienced staff. Now our pursuit of this goal is assisted by the Accent™ RF pacemaker, the first in the world to offer the advantages of hands-free daily radio frequency monitoring and remote follow-up capabilities. In addition to providing more control and less risk for physicians and patients, the Accent™ RF pacemaker decreases clinic visits and provides useful, timely data that physicians can use to plan interventions or medication changes. The technology is particularly valuable to patients who live in remote areas and elderly people who have difficulty scheduling follow-up visits because of transportation or mobility problems.
In contrast, older pacemaker technology requires patients to visit a clinic once or twice a year to download necessary data, or use a handheld device to download data on a weekly basis or as directed by a physician. Continuous monitoring was not available with older technology, which provided six to 12 months of retrospective data about events that were important and occurred months ago.
The SJ4 connector system decreases the length and number of leads connecting an implantable defibrillator to the heart, resulting in a thinner surgical implantation site and potentially decreasing the risk of infection. The SJ4 has also been integrated into St. Jude’s current family of wireless defibrillators that are used at Memorial.
“The new connector is more symmetric, increases patient comfort, and produces less chance of error in the lead connection,” explains Hassan M. Hussain, MD, FACC, FSCAI, chief of cardiology at Memorial Medical Center. “It will be the industry standard for the future. We are proud to be the first institution in the area to implant this lead and St. Jude Medical’s newest device and provide this advanced technology to our community.”
As part of Memorial’s pursuit of excellence, we continually strive to update and enhance our health care services. Other recent and valuable additions to our cardiology services include the Electrophysiology Program, which provides treatment for arrhythmias that can’t be remedied with medication, and the Cardiology-based Peripheral Program, which provides treatment to restore arterial blood flow in areas outside of the heart.
For additional information about the Accent™ RF pacemaker and the SJ4 connector system for implantable defibrillators, visit the St. Jude Medical Web site at www.sjm.com.
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Memorial Medical Center is part of Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals, physician organizations and other medical services that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology.