Cardiac contractility modulation: A technical guide for device implantation

Abstract

This article provides a technical description of common implant practice for delivery of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) therapy to heart failure patients. As of September 2016, the authors of this article collectively have been involved with more than 400 system implantations in five medical centers, beginning with the advent of CCM therapy approximately 12 years ago. CCM therapy has been evaluated in a variety of studies, and was shown to be safe and effective and of benefit to patient quality of life and exercise capacity. As the use of CCM therapy continuously expands among medical centers in Europe, this article describes the technical and practical aspects of the implant procedure, and additional special technical cases based on our cumulative experience.