With a Battery Life of up to 14 Years or More, Edora Achieves Smaller Size without Impacting Device Longevity
TOKYO, Japan and BERLIN, Germany, January 10, 2017 — BIOTRONIK is launching a new series of single- and dual-chamber pacemakers in Japan ahead of its global launch. These devices feature both the company’s ProMRI® and BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring® technology.
“The size reduction achieved with the latest BIOTRONIK pacemakers does not compromise longevity and is more acceptable for the Japanese patient population,” commented Dr. Akihiko Yotsukura, Hokko Memorial Hospital Caress Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. “The devices also come equipped with the MRI AutoDetect feature. Thus these devices are not only ideal for elderly patients but all patients who may require an MRI at some point.”
Edora’s ProMRI functionality is also particularly relevant for Japanese patients, as Japan is the world’s largest MRI market with more MRI scanners per million population than any other country.1 Edora’s single- and dual-chamber pacemakers are currently approved for fullbody MRI scans at 1.5 T and 3.0 T scans with an exclusion zone.
The award-winning MRI AutoDetect functionality further improves patient safety. Once activated, the smart function automatically recognizes when the patient is in an MRI environment. It then switches itself to MRI mode, and switches back to normal functionality when MRI fields are no longer detected. This is an improvement over the current situation, in which patients undergoing MRIs visit their cardiologist, who programs the device into MRI mode, temporarily reducing its functionality. Following the scan, the device must be programed back to a non-MRI mode. The length of time this takes can vary after the MRI scan is completed. But with MRI AutoDetect, this window is reduced to only the duration of the scan itself.
“BIOTRONIK has long understood that the Japanese market demands smaller devices with premium feature sets. Therefore the Edora launch was prioritized for Japan,” stated Jeffrey Annis, Managing Director BIOTRONIK Japan. “We expect the addition of these devices to greatly enhance BIOTRONIK’s product portfolio offering not only here in Japan, but globally as well.”
About ProMRI
BIOTRONIK ProMRI technology enables patients with a pacemaker, implantable defibrillator, cardiac monitor, or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) or pacemaker (CRT-P) to undergo an MRI scan. Devices with MRI AutoDetect have the additional capability of automatically recognizing an MRI environment within a programmable time window, switching on the device’s MRI mode for only as long as is required to complete the scan. This typically lasts around 30 minutes. This ensures the patient receives the full benefit of their device for the maximum amount of time possible. BIOTRONIK has the broadest portfolio of cardiac devices approved for use in the MR environment on the market. For more details, please go to www.biotronik.com/promri/en.
About BIOTRONIK
BIOTRONIK is a privately-owned medical device company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, represented in over 100 countries. More than 19 million products sold have saved and improved the lives of patients with heart and blood vessel diseases. Since developing the first German pacemaker in 1963, BIOTRONIK continues to innovate cardiovascular and endovascular medical technology.
