Originally Published MPMN May 2005

INDUSTRY NEWS

Semiconductor Firm Assists in Design of Implantable Devices

Corinne Litchfield

A developer of digital, mixed-signal, and sensor products has joined forces with a manufacturer to design implantable defibrillators. AMI Semiconductor (AMIS; Pocatello, ID; www.amis.com) recently announced its technology design and supply agreement with Interventional Rhythm Management Inc. (IRM; Research Triangle Park, NC; www.synecor.com).

Founded in 2003 by medical technology firm Synecor LLC, IRM has been focused on developing new ways of managing patients with cardiac arrhythmia. The company’s initial product is an intravascular implantable defibrillator (IID) designed for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest, an event that has a survival rate of only 5% without a defibrillator.

IRM teamed with AMIS to add features to the IID that would extend the product’s life cycle without compromising functionality. AMIS’s proprietary ASIC technology uses mixed-signal, low-data-rate wireless communication to reduce power consumption. AMIS equipped the defibrillator with a sniff mode that periodically sends out a signal or “sniff” to detect RF energy or data that may require monitoring. Once the sniff finds significant data, a quick-start oscillator powers up the device and prepares it to communicate the data to an outside source, says AMIS account manager Scott Carson.

No major surgery is required to insert the IID under the skin. “The IID represents a major technological breakthrough for the significantly underserved patient population of defibrillator candidates,” says IRM president Richard S. Stack. “A cardiologist will now be able to implant this life-saving device in less than 15 minutes. Patients will no longer need to deal with the permanent implantation of a metallic box under their skin.”

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