Newly Designed LVAD Helps Ailing Hearts Beat Better

A new implantable pulsatile left ventricular-assist device (LVAD) provides more physiologic assistance to patients suffering from severe heart failure.

The BestBeat system operates automatically in synchronous counterpulsation with the native left ventricle, thereby unloading the heart and optimizing tolerance to exercise and increased metabolic needs. The system allows variation of the left ventricular (LV) afterload, adapting the degree of assistance to the patient's needs while synchronous counterpulsation and full-flow through the device are maintained. These characteristics make the system especially suitable as both a transplant bridge for chronic assistance and as a recovery bridge, since the counterpulsation allows the cardiac muscle to rest completely. The adjustable load allows the clinician to control the weaning phase, maintaining synchronous counterpulsation without decreasing blood flow.

The small, fully implantable device weighs only 535 g, is built of bio- and hemo-compatible materials such as titanium and polyurethane, and provides a pump flow of up to 8 l/min. The durability of the system is ensured by an actuation system based on an advanced ball screw technology. The control and monitoring unit is controlled by a user-friendly software interface that runs on a standard laptop, which allows real-time device monitoring and device history querying, and a powerful battery worn on a strap powers the system. The BestBeat system is being developed by NewCorTec (Rome, Italy) with technical assistance by et medical devices (Cavareno, Italy). The BestBeat system is an investigational device currently undergoing clinical trials in France and Germany.

"BestBeat does justice to its name because it adapts to the natural heartbeat of the patient far better than previous LVADs, leading amongst other things to a better recovery of the diseased heart,” said Dr. Aly El-Banayosy, director of the VAD and artificial heart ward at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW (Bad Oeynhausen, Germany), who implanted the device for the first time ever in a 68-year-old man in March 2007.


Related Links:
NewCorTec
et medical devices
Heart and Diabetes Center NRW