SBIR Phase II: Novel Defibrillator

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project lies in its potential to develop a new mechanism for painlessly terminating atrial fibrillation. Cardiac arrhythmia is one of the leading causes of death and debilitation. A common means of terminating harmful rhythms is delivering a shock via an external or implantable defibrillator. The pain from the shock is the number one concern for patients with implantable defibrillators, and because of the pain, an implantable option is not practical for atrial fibrillation. The high-risk, high-reward research to be conducted under this project will significantly advance the field of defibrillation therapy and aims to lead to the introduction of a new class of implantable medical device technology. The proposed project seeks to develop and evaluate an implantable device that achieves non-destructive temporary conduction delay in cardiac tissues for the painless termination, and potentially prevention, of life threatening arrhythmias. Cardiac arrhythmias are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. More than 1,000 Americans die each day from sudden cardiac arrest. The team intends to initially target the development of a device to achieve rapid and painless termination of life threatening arrhythmias to treat atrial fibrillation. The successful development of the proposed device has the potential to benefit millions of patients. Additionally, by virtue of its painless modulation of arrhythmogenesis, the proposed device may well also terminate incipient arrhythmias. The phase II project will develop and evaluate a prototype system. It is anticipated that the project will result in a new implantable medical device that painlessly terminates atrial fibrillation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.