Boston Scientific has selected the first patient to participate in clinical trials of multiple physiologic sensors for a new machine in the hope of developing a means of identifying the early signs of worsening heart failure.
The investigation will analyse the effect of the sensors in the firm's Cognis cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillators, which it is thought, when combined with its Latitude Patient Management System, can deliver a signal to medical professional when a crisis occurs.
John Boehmer, medical director of the Heart Failure Programme at Penn State Hershey Medical Center who led the research, described it as a complex disease that currently requires many diagnostics to assess a patient's condition.
He said: "A multi-sensor design in an implantable device, with the predictive power of multiple data points, would enable physicians to take clinical action sooner to avoid hospitalisation."
Boston Scientific describes its strategy as looking to lead the global market in non-invasive medical devices.