A Wire Mesh Hugs the Failing Heart

An innovative cardiac ventricular support system delivered by a minimally invasive procedure slows or halts the enlargement of the heart associated with heart failure (HF).

The HeartNet ventricular elastic support system is comprised of an elastic nickel-titanium (nitinol) mesh that wraps around and reinforces the walls of the heart, covering the failing heart ventricles of patients in advanced stages of HF. The mesh provides permanent, gentle support that is designed to reinforce the walls of the heart to slow or stop the enlargement process and enable the heart to work more efficiently, ultimately decreasing the debilitating symptoms of heart failure. Because each patient is physically different, the device comes in various sizes; based on results from a non-invasive echocardiogram that shows the actual size of the heart, the appropriate size device is chosen for each patient. Early findings have shown that the HeartNet may not only improve heart function and exercise capacity, but also decreases left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony and helps restore regional homogeneity of the ventricular contraction.

The device is delivered via a minithoracotomy, a minimally invasive procedure that takes about one hour from start to finish; the patient does not need to be placed on heart-lung bypass for the surgery. Since the surgeons apply a gentle mechanical support to the failing heart without actually opening the patient's chest, recovery time typically only takes three weeks. When coupled with other heart failure therapies such as medication, the HeartNet may help return patients to their desired lifestyle. Currently limited to investigational use, the HeartNet ventricular elastic support system was developed by Paracor Medical (Sunnyvale, CA, USA).

"We are excited about the HeartNet's potential as a less invasive surgical approach to permanently assist weakened or failing heart muscles,” said Stephen A. Olenchock, Jr., M.D., a cardiac surgeon at Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center (Boston, MA, USA), which is participating in the Prospective Evaluation of Elastic Restraint to LESSen the Effects of Heart Failure (PEERLESS-HF) trial of the HeartNet. "The advanced heart failure team is encouraged by our early observations and we will see if the HeartNet restores more normal function in diseased hearts without major open heart surgery, potentially reducing the need for more invasive procedures.”


Related Links:
Paracor Medical
Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center