Vicor Targets Cardiac Ischemia
More than 2,600 Americans die of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) each day, an average of one death every 33 seconds. Cardiovascular diseases rank as America's No. 1 killer, claiming the lives of over 40 percent of the nearly 2.4 million Americans who die each year. It claims almost as many lives each year as the next seven leading causes of death combined.
- Deaths reported annually: almost 1 million (1999)
- Number of Hospital Discharges with CVD as first diagnosis: 6.3 million (1999)
- CVD costs the United States over $100 billion annually in treatment costs.
Sudden cardiac death occurs when the heart abruptly stops. After the victim collapses, death can occur within minutes, and most instances occur when the electrical impulses of the heart become rapid and then chaotic. This irregularity of rhythm causes the heart to stop pumping blood. If cardiac arrest victims receive no treatment, brain damage can start to occur in just four to six minutes after the heart stops pumping blood. Vicor is initially targeting cardiac ischemia, a major contributor to heart disease deaths. Certain state-dependent molecules have been shown to significantly reduce injury associated with ischemia and reperfusion of organs, such as the heart.