Medtronic has secured European approval for its Cobalt and Crome portfolio of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy-defibrillators (CRT-D).

By monitoring heart rhythms, ICDs deliver therapy to correct fast heart rates that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

CRT-Ds serve as a treatment option for some individuals with heart failure and send small electrical impulses to the heart’s lower chambers to help them beat in synchronised patterns.

Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm and Heart Failure division chief medical officer Rob Kowal said: “The Cobalt and Crome devices demonstrate our commitment to enhancing device connectivity and personalised patient care.

“These advancements will help physicians respond to patients’ individual needs through informed clinical decision making, potentially improving the outcomes of patients around the world.”

The new generation of implantable heart devices, which secured CE Mark, also includes several smart features.

Intrinsic ATP (iATP) is the only automated algorithm that adapts to a patient’s irregular heart rhythms and is available on Cobalt XT ICDs and CRT-Ds.

It attempts to reset the heart rhythms with painless pacing therapy and eliminates the need for shocks.

The first Medtronic ICD and CRT-D portfolio offer connected health with BlueSync Technology, which enables the communication between the implanted devices and the tablet-based CareLink SmartSync Device Manager for physicians, and the MyCareLink Heart mobile app for patients.

The CRT-Ds also include the EffectivCRT and the AdaptivCRT algorithms, which adjust therapy according to minute-by-minute evaluations of each patient’s heart rhythm.

With the launch of the Cobalt and Crome platform, Medtronic is also making available TriageHF technology, which uses a simplified, integrated, automatic tool to evaluate heart failure risk of patients.

TriageHF assessment tool is for use alongside all Medtronic ICDs and CRT-Ds with the Medtronic OptiVol fluid status monitoring feature.