Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM)

Heart failure affects an estimated 6.5 million Americans and nearly over 64 million people worldwide. Patients with heart failure experience debilitating symptoms, including breathlessness, fatigue, confusion and swelling in the legs that make everyday activities challenging and significantly diminish their quality of life. 

What is Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM)?

A new option to improve the quality of life for heart failure patients who are no longer adequately responding to medications. CCM therapy is delivered by the Optimizer, a minimally invasive, implantable device. The Optimizers sends precisely timed electrical pulses to the heart during the absolute refractory period of the beating cycle, just after the heart contracts.

This innovative treatment is the first of its kind designed to improve contraction of the heart, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to reach the body. 

How it Works

Similar in size to a pacemaker, the Optimizer device is implanted during a minimally invasive procedure while the patient is under light sedation. During the procedure, the device is implanted under the skin of the upper chest, along with electrical leads placed in the heart’s right ventricle. The physician programs the delivery of CCM therapy for each patient and activates the device.

The implanted device then sends electrical pulses to the heart muscle for a total of five hours a day, From the comfort of their home, the patient charges the device each week for one hour using an external charger.

Studies evaluating the FDA-approved therapy have demonstrated the device is safe and is proven to improve quality of life for suitable patients. The Optimizer Smart system, Impulse Dynamics’ proprietary technology, was granted “Breakthrough Device” designation by the FDA and is the first and only FDA-approved.

The Optimizer is expected to provide CCM therapy for up to 15 years before requiring replacement.