St. Jude Releases ICD Lead in Europe

St. Jude Medical Inc. (St. Paul, MN) has announced the European launch of its TVL-ADX lead, designed to be used with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The device has been available in the United States since March of this year. (Click here for previous story.)

The lead utilizes the company's Tendril DX cardiac pacing lead technology. It provides a true bipolar configuration for precise sensing, an extendable/retractable helix for active fixation in the ventricle, and steroid elution for reduced inflammation and low chronic pacing thresholds.

All defibrillator leads feature a bipolar electrical configuration. However, some designs (referred to as integrated bipolar) use the lead's large shocking coil electrode as one pole, which may produce an "antenna" effect that can make it more susceptible to sensing problems. True bipolar designs, like the TVL-ADX lead, use a small ring electrode instead of the shock coil, which may improve sensing performance.

The lead features a reservoir at the tip that slowly releases small quantities of a steroid that may reduce the energy requirements for stimulation. It also incorporates the company's proprietary Fast-Pass coating that makes the lead highly lubricious for ease of implantation.

Edited by Ursula Jones