Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, February 3 2017
Friday February 3rd saw women and men across the United States dressed in shades of red, from scarlet to crimson, for National Wear Red Day.
February has been known as American Heart Month since the early 1960s, but in 2003 National Wear Red Day was introduced specifically to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Established by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the event is now in its 14th year.
Despite the commonly held belief that it affects men more than women, heart disease, including conditions such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation (which causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate), is the leading cause of mortality among women in the US, ahead of all types of cancer combined. According to the AHA, an estimated 44 million women in the US are affected by cardiovascular disease and over 90% of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
The red dress was introduced as the symbol for women and heart disease awareness by the NHLBI in 2002 and is the inspiration National Wear Red Day. Taking place on the first Friday in February each year, it is a day of awareness-raising and education around the consequences of and risk factors for heart disease among women, which aims to increase both the number of women taking action to prevent heart disease and the frequency of conversations with health providers about heart disease.
“Events such as National Wear Red Day are immensely important in raising awareness of the reality of the risk of heart disease to women’s health,” says Dr. Simos Kedikoglou, CEO, Impulse Dynamics. “While the introduction of novel therapies such as cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) means we are increasingly better able to manage the symptoms of different heart conditions, activities which raise awareness of heart disease could help prevent many new cases from occurring.”
About the Optimizer and CCM Therapy
The Optimizer Smart device, which delivers CCM therapy, has been successfully launched in Europe and is available in a growing number of cardiology centers. Over 3,000 patients worldwide have already received CCM through the Optimizer III or IVs device, the only device therapy available for patients with a narrow QRS complex. Impulse Dynamics has completed extensive clinical studies, including several randomized controlled trials, published in articles in over 60 leading medical journals. The Optimizer Smart is not currently approved for use in the United States; the Optimizer IVs, an earlier version of the device, is approved in the United States for investigational use only.
About Impulse Dynamics
Impulse Dynamics N.V., a member of the Hobart Group of companies, is focused on the development of electrical therapies for the treatment of chronic heart failure. As a global leader in cardiac medical innovation, Impulse Dynamics has operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, please visit www.impulse-dynamics.com.
About the Hobart Group
The Hobart Group develops and commercializes medical technologies which target top healthcare markets with significant unmet needs. Its growing portfolio of companies covers the areas of cardiology, diabetes, oncology, neurology and rehabilitation. Together, Hobart Group companies have over 200 scientists, engineers, regulatory and business experts across four continents, benefitting from clinical expertise and extensive regulatory and international market knowledge across Europe, the United States and Asia. For more information, visit www.hobart-group.com.
CCM and Optimizer are trademarks of Impulse Dynamics N.V.
Contact
Sharon Alon
Director, Investor Relations and
New Business Ventures, Hobart Group
sharona@hobart-group.com
+1 347-761-3342
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