Heart Pump System for Cardiogenic Shock

A pump system connected to the heart by intravenous catheter, inserted percutaneously with local anesthesia, is able to restore blood circulation when disease, heart attack, or open-heart surgery causes the heart to fail. The system, intended for temporary use, may potentially save vital organs and give damaged hearts a chance to heal.

Called TandemHeart, the novel system uses a magnetically driven six-bladed impeller that pumps blood from the left side of the heart and returns it to the femoral artery in the leg. The pump, which is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, provides steady blood flow while located outside the body. A small diameter cable assembly connects to an intravenous system and a microprocessor-operated controller that powers the device. The impeller is the system's only moving part.

TandemHeart is especially well-suited to treat cardiogenic shock victims in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, a need not adequately met by any other circulatory support device, which results in 30-day and one-year mortality rates between 70-90%. Currently, doctors use intra-aortic balloon pumps that provide limited coronary perfusion and limit circulatory support.

Unlike other ventricular assist devices, TandemHeart obviates the need for open chest surgery and circulates fluid continuously, rather than mimicking the heart's pulsatile action. The system is the product of CardiacAssist, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA, USA), a pioneer in developing centrifugal-based ventricular assist devices.

"In less than an hour, using local anesthesia and no major surgery, a cardiologist can insert a catheter into the heart, then connect it to TandemHeart, which is strapped to the thigh or abdomen,” said Safiris Safirelis, president and CEO of CardiacAssist. Clinical studies are now in progress. TandemHeart was introduced at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2000 conference in Washington, DC (USA).