New Surgical Treatment for Congestive Heart Failure

A new minimally invasive surgical treatment for congestive heart failure involves a heart reshaping procedure (HRP) that can be performed through a small chest incision.

In severe cases of congestive heart failure, the heart is enlarged and the pumping action of the left ventricle has become inefficient. Although frequently performed through an operation that requires division of the breastbone, in many cases the ventricle can be accessed for reshaping using a minimally invasive approach.

In HRP, the surgeon introduces a custom-engineered device called the Blue Egg Sizer into the left ventricle and surgically reshapes the heart around the device. In the final step, the surgeon collapses the Blue Egg Sizer, removes it from the ventricle, and attaches a cloth patch specifically designed for this operation to seal the hole. The heart returns to its original elliptical shape and is better able to circulate blood to meet the body's needs. HRP can also be performed in conjunction with other heart failure treatments such as cardiac stenting and bypass grafting.

The first minimally invasive HRP in the United States was recently performed in St. Joseph's Hospital (Tacoma, WA, USA) by Wendel Smith, M.D., who works closely with St. Joseph's cardiologists, led by Dr. Raed Fahmy, to select patients who are candidates for the HRP procedure. "There was an immediate improvement in the patient's cardiac output following the procedure,” Dr. Smith stated. The Blue Egg Sizer is being distributed by CHF Technologies, Inc. (Danville, CA, USA).




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