TWO RECENT ADVANCES IN HEART ASSISTS

(Adapted from news service reports)

On June 7 a heart-failure patient received the first implantation of a new heart pump developed by Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. George Noon, NASA, and MicroMed Technology Inc. It is one of a family of Left Ventricular Assist Systems or LVASs, this one called the MicroMed DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device ™.

The new pump is reported to be one-tenth the size of current heart assist devices, rendering it usable in a broader patient base. Implantation of the device is minimally invasive, compared to open heart procedures necessary for the devices now in use.

A competing family of systems, embodied in air-driven and electric versions, is made by Thermo Cardiosystems (Woburn MA), a subsidiary of Thermedics Inc., associated with Thermo Electron corporation.

One of these devices, HeartMate II, is a fully implantable LVAS using a miniature rotary blood pump with axial bearings, small enough to be used in children. A transcutaneous energy transmission system eliminates need for wires or tubes extending from the body. Upcoming clinical trials will be the at University of Pittsburgh and Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel.

HeartMate III uses magnetic technology, with no contact between moving parts, promising a longer life than a device with traditional bearings, developed in conjunction with Sulzer Electronics Inc. in Switzerland. FDA approval for clinical trials has not yet been granted.