Lumax 740 implantable cardiac defibrillators by Biotronik are the first ICDs eligible for use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The devices include ProMRI, an MR conditional feature, and extended longevities up to 11 years. Also, a new intracardiac impedance (ICI) assessment technology integrated into the Lumax HF-T device will be evaluated in clinical studies: this research feature aims to enhance therapy for heart failure (HF) patients in the future.

After receiving CE approval on November 18, the first device implantations were performed at hospitals in Europe. Worldwide, the population of patients who need an ICD is growing at a rate of about 10% to 15% annually. At the same time, the need for MR scans is also increasing at a rate of about 10% annually. Approximately 30 million scans were performed in 2006, and in 2010, there were already about 50 million MR scans conducted worldwide (source: Morgan Stanley, “ICD Market, 1996–2009”). The soaring rates of patients needing ICDs and the increasing need for MR scans result in an estimated 50% to 75% probability that an ICD patient would be indicated for an MR scan over the lifetime of his or her implanted device (source: Roguin et al., “Europace 2008”, 10: 336-346).

Additionally, the intracardiac impedance measure is being used to investigate changes in left ventricular volume as a parameter that could potentially be taken for optimizing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and predicting worsening heart failure. These data are transmitted from the patient’s device to the physician continuously and automatically using BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring, the industry’s only remote patient management system FDA- and CE-approved for the early detection of clinically relevant events.