NATICK, Mass., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has expanded the launch of its S-ICD System into parts of Asia. The first implant of the S-ICD System in Asia was performed in Hong Kong by Prof. Hung Fat Tse, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, The University of Hong Kong and Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam, Hong Kong, under the proctorship of Dr. Martin Stiles, Director of Electrophysiology, Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand. 

Recent estimates show that almost 2 million people in Asia Pacific are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) but are currently unprotected^{[[i],[ii],[iii],[iv]]}. As the world's least invasive implantable defibrillator, the S-ICD System provides protection for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, leaving the heart and blood vessels untouched, and offering patients a compelling alternative to transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (TV-ICDs), which require leads to be placed in the heart. Implantation of the S-ICD System uses anatomical landmarks without the need for fluoroscopy.*   

"The S-ICD System is a revolutionary and unique option for patients at risk of SCA," said Prof. Hung Fat Tse. "I envision the S-ICD System to be the first choice solution for eligible patients because it provides a less invasive therapy with performance as good as TV-ICDs." 

This breakthrough defibrillation therapy has been commercially available in Europe since 2009 and was approved in the United States in late 2012.   Boston Scientific continues to expand the availability of this unique therapy for patients and physicians around the world. 

"Most of the world's population resides in Asia, which includes a high portion of unprotected patients at risk of SCA. The S-ICD System highlights Boston Scientific's commitment to bring meaningful innovation to patients and physicians in this critically important region," said Supratim Bose, Executive Vice President and President, Asia, Middle-East and Africa, Boston Scientific.

The S-ICD does not have regulatory approval in China, Japan or South Korea and is not available for sale in those countries.

^{*Fluoroscopy is required for implanting the leads attached to TV-ICDs}

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[i] Alessandra Doolan, Neil Langlois and Christopher Semsarian, Causes of sudden cardiac death in young Australians,  Medical Journal of Australia MJA 2004; 180 (3): 110-112
[ii] Minako Maruyama, Tetsuya Ohira, Hironori Imano, Akihiko Kitamura, Masahiko Kiyama, Takeo Okada, Kenji Maeda, Kazumasa Yamagishi, Hiroyuki Noda, Yoshinori Ishikawa, Takashi Shimamoto, and Hiroyasu Iso, Trends in sudden cardiac death and its risk factors in Japan from 1981 to 2005: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS), BMJ Open. 2012; 2(2): e000573
[iii] Zhang Shu, Sudden cardiac death in China, Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2009 Sep;32(9):1159-62. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2009.02458.x. 
[iv] Murakoshi N and Aonuma K, Epidemiology of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in Asia, Circ J. 2013;77(10):2419-31. Epub 2013 Sep 20.

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation