Japanese Regulators OK St. Jude Device

St. Jude Medical has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for its Merlin patient care system, a universal programmer for cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, implantable cardioverter defibrillators and pacemakers.

The system is a portable computer designed to help physicians conduct cardiac tests, analyze therapeutic and diagnostic data and program implanted devices. If a patient’s condition has changed, the system allows the doctors to reprogram the implanted device to prevent abnormal heart rhythms.

Japan represents the second-largest market for medical devices in the world, and St. Jude Medical has been serving that market since 1925, the company said.