Englewood Health News

Englewood Health First in New Jersey to Offer New Heart Rhythm Device Featuring Patient App and Bluetooth Connectivity

Englewood Health First in New Jersey to Offer New Heart Rhythm Device Featuring Patient App and Bluetooth Connectivity

October 9, 2020 —Englewood Health successfully performed New Jersey’s first implant using Abbott’s Gallant implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and Gallant HF cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices, making it the first center in New Jersey, according to Abbott. 

This latest advancement from Abbott offers Bluetooth® communication and a new patient smartphone app for improved and continuous remote monitoring, allowing for increased patient/physician engagement and streamlined communications. This device combines smartphone connectivity with long-lasting therapy that can be intuitively programmed to make a powerful difference in heart failure patients’ lives. Additionally, compared to other ICD and CRT-D devices, this new technology is very small and does not impact a person’s ability to get an MRI.  

Dr. David Feigenblum, director of the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Center at Englewood Health, discusses the hospital’s first successful device implantation. “Unlike other defibrillators, this device allows physicians and patients direct access to activity in the patient’s heart,” he said. “The convenience in this technology gives us real-time information to be able to treat each patient faster and more efficiently.” 

The new Gallant system pairs with Abbott’s secure myMerlinPulse™, an intuitive mobile smartphone application designed to help streamline communication between doctors and their patients. The app provides access to data, device performance, and transmission history, which helps people take an active role in their care. Through the myMerlinPulse app, physicians can continuously monitor their patients remotely allowing for identification of asymptomatic episodes as well as patient-triggered transmissions, which can lead to earlier intervention. 

It is estimated that as many as 6.1 million people in the United States battle cardiac arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, according to the CDC. ICDs are often recommended to help reduce the risks of life-threatening arrhythmias. For patients with heart failure or in situations when the heart’s chambers beat out of sync, CRT-Ds can be used to restore the heart’s natural pattern of beating. 

Note: Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.  

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