Gallant

Abbott has received the CE mark for the new Gallant implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices, which—a press release reports—have the most advanced heart rhythm management capabilities along with a new set of benefits to people in Europe with abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure. The press release adds that the devices offer new opportunities for patient engagement and remote monitoring through new smartphone connectivity and connected applications. Additional benefits include a patient preferred design, improved battery longevity and MRI compatibility.

The new Gallant system pairs with Abbott’s secure myMerlinPulse mobile app to help streamline communication and increase engagement between doctors and their patients. For example, the app allows patients to engage more frequently with their healthcare team by providing access to transmission history and device performance, and the app can prompt patients to schedule their next appointment. Through the myMerlinPulse app, physicians can monitor their patients remotely, allowing for identification of asymptomatic episodes as well as patient-triggered transmissions, which can lead to earlier intervention and reduce clinical burden.

In addition to enhanced remote monitoring capabilities, according to the press release, the Gallant CRT-D system includes Abbott’s MultiPoint Pacing and SyncAV features to help more patients respond to CRT therapy. Also, the Gallant ICD device includes Abbott’s TailoredTherapy suite to help physicians more intuitively programme their patient’s devices. By incorporating these features into the Gallant systems, Abbott continues to prioritise therapy built around a patient’s specific programming needs to ensure they respond to treatment in the most effective way.

Abbott has designed Gallant with a secure lifecycle approach, which includes using the latest cybersecurity controls and partnering with industry cybersecurity experts to provide input into the design and testing of these controls.  This approach provides the ability to more seamlessly update the device as cybersecurity threats evolve in the future.

Johannes Sperzel (Kerckhoff Klinik, Bad Nauheim, Germany) says: “As I consider the next generation of high voltage therapy, cardiac rhythm management devices have to become more than just a device—they need to fit people’s lifestyles and empower them to be more engaged with their care and more connected to me and my hospital. With Abbott’s new Gallant devices, I can offer my patients smartphone connectivity, powerful connections to their clinical team and improved outcomes through a more tailored therapy approach. The features in Abbott’s devices will propel the industry forward in a very meaningful way.”