Medtronic launches wireless ICDs in Japan

MINNEAPOLIS, July 6 (UPI) -- U.S. device maker Medtronic said it has launched in Japan two "wireless" heart rhythm devices, the Concerto and the Virtuoso.

The Concerto is a cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator, while the Virtuoso is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

ICDs are implanted in a patient to detect sudden, potentially fatal arrhythmias, then deliver a shock to restore the heart's normal rhythm.

Data from the episode gathered by the device are downloaded by the patient's doctor during follow-up visits every three to four months to determine the patient's subsequent treatment.

Conventional devices require an in-office visit where a reader is placed over the implanted device to allow transfer of the data, but the Concerto and Virtuoso provide this information wirelessly, precluding the need for patients to disrobe, Medtronic said.