Dr. Ayalloore, First to Implant the Optimizer® Therapy System for Heart Failure Opelousas General

Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) cardiologist, Dr. Siby Ayalloore, is the first to implant the Optimizer® therapy system to treat heart failure at Opelousas General Health System.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart slowly weakens and cannot pump with the force required to supply oxygen-rich blood to the body. The Optimizer® therapy system is a minimally-invasive, implantable device that delivers cardiac contractility modulation, or CCM, therapy to the heart muscle. Manufactured by Impulse Dynamics, the device is similar in size to a pacemaker and is implanted under the skin of the upper chest. However, it differs from a pacemaker or defibrillator in that it sends timed electrical pulses during the refractory period of the beating cycle, just after the heart contracts. CCM therapy is designed to cause subsequent beats of the heart to be stronger and more forceful, resulting in more oxygen-rich blood being delivered to the body with each beat.

“I’m very excited to bring this technology to Opelousas General and to St. Landry Parish,” said Dr. Ayalloore. “As we continue to advance on the front lines of heart failure, a terrible and debilitating disease, we continue to bring the most advanced technologies and therapies to Acadiana.”

Dr. Ayalloore specializes in treating advanced heart failure, which affects more than six million Americans and that number is growing. Heart failure is typically the result of conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or artery disease. Symptoms may include persistent cough, swelling, fatigue, or shortness of breath. Many people do not realize they have heart failure so it is important to visit a cardiologist to learn your risk.