Permanent Ventricular Assist System

A left ventricular assist system (LVAS), now in clinical trials, is designed for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients who are no longer responsive to medical management and for whom the only hope is a donor heart transplant.

Called LionHeart, the LVAS is fully implanted in the body and does not replace the heart but assists in the pumping function of the heart's left ventricle. The device is electrically driven by a wearable battery pack that transmits power noninvasively through the skin to charge internal batteries and power the blood pump, with no cables or lines extending through the skin. The internal batteries make it possible for the user to remove the wearable battery pack for short periods, for a shower, for example.

The LionHeart was first implanted in October 1999 in a patient at The Heart and Diabetes Center in Bad Oeynhausen (Germany). The patient is living at home now and the LionHeart continues to function as expected. The device is the result of an eight-year joint development effort involving Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, PA, USA) and Arrow International, Inc. (Reading, PA, USA), which will market the device.

Arrow says LionHeart is the first fully implantable permanent device of its kind and represents a significant advance in mechanical circulatory-assist technology. A phase I human clinical trial is now underway, in which up to seven patients will be implanted with LionHeart. "We expect the clinical trials to show that the unique features of the Arrow LionHeart LVAS will provide significantly improved mobility and quality of life for CHF patients,” said Marlin Miller, Jr., chairman and CEO of Arrow.



Related Links:
Arrow International