Cardiac Contractility Modulation Therapy

Heart Failure Device Therapy

Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) is an innovative heart failure device therapy that improves the contraction of the heart – allowing more oxygen-rich blood to reach the body – allowing patients to experience fewer heart failure symptoms. 

Valley’s heart failure and electrophysiology teams are using this breakthrough technology when medications aren't enough to improve patients' heart failure symptoms. 

By improving the symptoms of heart failure, CCM therapy can help patients feel better, so they can start doing the things they love again.

An Alternative to Heart Failure Medication

Heart failure patients often experience debilitating symptoms, including breathlessness, fatigue, confusion and swelling in the legs, which make everyday activities challenging and significantly diminish their quality of life. 

Medications are intended to slow the progression of heart failure and manage patients' symptoms. But medications aren’t always enough to help slow heart failure. And as the condition progresses, medications can lose their effectiveness, and patients' quality of life continues to decline.

Traditional cardiac implants, such as pacemakers, can correct the heart’s rhythm and synchronize contractions to help improve cardiac performance in people with heart failure. But these devices do nothing to boost the heart’s ability to forcefully pump blood throughout the body.

How CCM Therapy Works

CCM therapy delivers precisely timed electrical pulses to the heart that are intended to improve the heart’s ability to contract.

CCM therapy is delivered by the Optimizer^®, a device the size of a pacemaker. It 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 that are placed in the heart’s right ventricle through the veins. The implanted device then sends precisely calibrated and timed electrical pulses to the heart muscle during one-hour treatment periods scheduled intermittently throughout the day.

Who May Benefit From CCM Therapy? 

CCM therapy may be an appropriate option for up to 70-percent of NYHA Class III (a classification of heart symptoms) heart failure patients who continue to experience symptoms despite taking heart failure medications for their condition.

Wondering if CCM therapy may be right for you? Consider these questions: 

• Have you been diagnosed with heart failure by a doctor?
• Are you taking medications prescribed by your doctor to help improve your heart failure symptoms?
• Despite taking your heart failure medications, do the symptoms of heart failure (breathlessness, fatigue, confusion, and swelling in the legs, etc.) prevent you from doing everyday things?
• Despite receiving any type of treatment (medications or device-based therapies, such as an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator), do you still wish to see your quality of life improve?
• Do you have an ejection fraction (a measurement of the heart’s pumping efficiency) of 25-45%?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, call 201-432-7837 to schedule a consultation with our specialists and learn more about CCM therapy.