World’s First and Only ICD Offering 3 Tesla MRI Access Launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan, October 1, 2015 – BIOTRONIK, the world’s leading manufacturer of MR conditional cardiac devices, has announced the Japanese market release of its Iperia 7 VR-T and DR-T DF4 implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). Iperia is the only ICD worldwide approved for 3.0 tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with an exclusion zone and 1.5 T full-body scanning.

Dr. Masatsugu Ohe, from Kurume University Hospital in Japan welcomed the news and said the devices deliver more options to physicians and patients. “The new Iperia 7 ProMRI series is a very versatile ICD system now compatible for both 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI scans made possible without compromising any existing device functions. This enhanced lineup of ICDs brings an improved diagnostic ability which is a true benefit for both the patients and the medical professionals treating them.”

With Iperia, a new option for discrimination of supraventricular tachycardia has been added with the MorphMatch morphology detection algorithm. The devices also feature BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring^®, which allows physicians to remotely follow their patients’ device status on a daily basis. This has been shown to reduce inappropriate therapies by 52 percent¹, as proven in the ECOST trial.

Jeffrey Annis, Managing Director BIOTRONIK Japan said the company’s commitment to ProMRI technology particularly compliments the Japanese market. “Japanese medical professionals have long realized that MRI is the optimal diagnostic procedure for a variety of conditions. There is a higher prevalence of MRI machines per million people in Japan than anywhere else in the world and 3.0 T MRI machines are becoming the preferred choice,” he commented. “BIOTRONIK recognizes that cardiac device patients deserve access to this vital diagnostic tool. We have therefore developed the world’s largest portfolio of ProMRI devices, which are now being embraced by Japanese patients and physicians.”

1. ^{Guedon-Moreau L et al. Eur Heart J. 2013, 34(8).}