Mechanical Heart-Assist Device

An implantable mechanical heart-assist device works to reduce the load on the heart by helping it to pump blood and is the only such device that does not come into direct contact with blood.

The C-Pulse is powered by an external driver unit and requires a less-invasive surgical procedure than other heart-assist devices. The unit was first implanted in a man in Auckland, New Zealand, in May 2005. "This patient had suffered heart failure for nine years and had a very limited quality of life. He had been hospitalized on six occasions in the last 18 months,” explained Dr. Paget Milsom, head of cardiothoracic surgery at Auckland City Hospital. The C-Pulse was developed by Sunshine Heart, Inc. (Sydney, Australia).

The C-Pulse has three main components. One is a cuff that consists of a wrap and a balloon. The cuff is secured around the ascending aorta. The balloon is inflated and deflated in time with the heart rhythm to improve blood supply. A sensing lead conveys the heart's electrical signals to the driver unit. A wearable driver unit is linked by an air tube to the cuff and causes the balloon in the cuff to inflate and deflate in rhythm with the heart.

Avoiding blood contact makes C-Pulse implantation less complex and less costly when compared to most other blood-contacting heart pumps, and reduces the risk of bleeding complications. Avoiding blood contact also allows the C-Pulse to be safely turned on and off.

"The treatment options for people in this category of heart failure are limited, so there is a real need for a device such as the C-Pulse,” noted Dr. William Peters, M.D., clinical research fellow in cardiothoracic surgery at Auckland City Hospital, and medical director of Sunshine Heart. "The supply of donor hearts for heart-failure transplantation is well below the number needed, and only about 30% of patients are suitable for heart failure treatment with a pacemaker that can help correct the pumping rhythm of the failing heart.”




Related Links:
Sunshine Heart