More than 6 million Americans live with heart failure, and exerts expect that number to grow to more than 8 million in the next five years.

64-year-old Jim Balala became the first recipient of an implantable device to treat heart failure.

Jim has been suffering with heart failure following a heart attack.

"They told me at that time that he probably was having a heart attack for about 13 hours,” Jim’s wife, Kathy, said.

After surgery, Jim was put into an induced coma for 12 days. Medications and a defibrillator kept Jim's heart beating, but left him with debilitating fatigue.

Naraj Varma, a cardiac electrophysiologist with the Cleveland Clinic, is leading a national study for the Integra-D, a device that combines two proven cardiac therapies.

“It delivers cardiac contractility modulation as well as defibrillator therapy,” Varma said.

Cardiac contractility modulation works daily to improve the contraction of the heart — making it stronger and relieving symptoms. A defibrillator treats life-threatening arrhythmias that cause sudden cardiac death.

Unlike a traditional defibrillator that needs to be replaced every 10 years, the Integra-D will last 20 years.

“This is a game-changer in the world of implantable device therapies because it is rechargeable,” Varma said.

Within two weeks of getting the implant, Jim had twice as much energy and is now looking forward to a summer back on his bike.

The Integra-D clinical study is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the device. The clinical trial will enroll 300 patients from 75 centers across the U.S., and those patients will be followed for two years.  

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