St. Jude Medical to display new products, clinical solutions at Heart Rhythm 2010

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced it will display a number of new products and clinical solutions from the company's Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Divisions at Heart Rhythm 2010, the Heart Rhythm Society's 31st Annual Scientific Sessions. The new products highlight the company's commitment to providing the most comprehensive and technologically advanced portfolio of therapies and devices for the treatment of heart arrhythmias, including products that enhance connectivity.

“Advances in CRT and Heart Failure Treatment: From Guidelines to Clinical Care”

Commenting on the company's presence at Heart Rhythm 2010, Eric S. Fain, M.D., president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division, said, "This year, we will have a strong focus on products that are helping to enhance connectivity, both between patients and their physician and for products within the cath lab. We will also feature a number of products that help eliminate the need for physicians to make compromises when selecting the most appropriate technology or therapy for treating their patients. In addition, the results of two of our clinical studies, the FREEDOM Trial and the ACT Registry, have been chosen to be presented during the late-breaking clinical trials sessions."

Products and technologies will be on display at St. Jude Medical booth #1302 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, on Thursday, May 13 and Friday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, May 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Product highlights include:

Cardiac Rhythm Management Division

• QuickFlex™ µ lead and CPS delivery tools: The QuickFlex™ μ (micro) left ventricular lead has an ultra-thin 4.3 French lead body, and short tip and ring electrodes (used to conduct energy), reducing the length of the lead's rigid portions. This, in addition to the lead's steerable tip, helps to facilitate delivery through the acute bends that characterize the vessels in the left side of the heart, enabling physicians to better maneuver the lead to the optimal position for heart failure therapy. The CPS tools from St. Jude Medical, including the new CPS™ Aim SL slittable inner catheter subselector, are designed to decrease implant times and increase control over LV access, delivery and fixation. The Quick Flex μ and CPS Aim SL inner catheter subselector are approved for use in the U.S. and Europe.
• Promote™ Accel and Current™ Accel: The St. Jude Medical Accel family of ICD devices feature the AutoCapture® Pacing System, which ensures appropriate pacing thresholds are consistently maintained while potentially conserving battery life. This feature provides added safety for the patient and added efficiency for physicians, by automating vital threshold tests and providing results on demand via a simple device interrogation. The Accel device families also include a new AT/AF Alert feature, designed to notify physicians when a rapid atrial rate (atrial tachycardia/atrial fibrillation [AT/AF]) exceeds a programmed value or occurs over an extended time period. The devices can be programmed to notify the patient through a unique vibratory alert. Vibratory alerts have been proven more effective than audible alerts. The Promote Accel CRT-D and Current Accel ICD are approved for use in Europe and the U.S.
• Other CRM Division products on display: Accent™ RF pacemaker, Anthem™ RF CRT-P, EHR Connectivity including Wireless USB Adaptor for Merlin@home™ transmitter, Durata™ defibrillation leads, SJ4 connector technology, OptiSense™ 1999 leads, the Optim™ insulation lead family and the Merlin™ Pacing System Analyzer (PSA).

Atrial Fibrillation Division

In addition to viewing the latest products on display, physicians can also get hands-on experience with several of the company's products by visiting the catheter ablation, Across™ Transseptal Access System, Agilis™ Steerable Introducer and EnSite™ Velocity stations at the St. Jude Medical booth.

• EnSite Derexi™ module: The EnSite Derexi provides improved electrophysiology (EP) lab efficiency and workflow by enabling communication between the EnSite Velocity Cardiac Mapping System and the EP-Workmate™ Recording System. The EnSite Derexi module enables procedural data (including relevant images, waveforms and other clinical data) and patient medical history information to be shared between the mapping and recording system to produce a single, synchronized patient record of a procedure.
• Other AF Division products: Therapy™ Cool Path™ Ablation Catheter, EP-Workmate Recording System, ViewMate™ II Intracardiac Ultrasound System, Reflexion™ Spiral Circular Mapping Catheter, Livewire™ Steerable Diagnostic Catheters, Agilis™ NxT Steerable Introducer, and Inquiry™ Steerable Diagnostic Catheters.

St. Jude Medical will also sponsor three continuing medical education (CME) symposia. "Improving Outcomes in Ischemia: The Value of Continuous ST-Segment Monitoring" and "Advances in CRT and Heart Failure Treatment: From Guidelines to Clinical Care" will both be presented on Wednesday, May 12, and "Innovative Therapy for the Management of Complex Arrhythmias" will be presented on Thursday, May 13.