Totally Implantable Heart Replacement
Device in Advanced Stages of Development
Jewish Hospital and the University of
Louisville partner with ABIOMED, Inc in battery-powered heart
research.
(LOUISVILLE) -- A select group of five
U.S. medical centers have reached an agreement to begin efforts
to demonstrate device and team readiness of ABIOMED's totally
implantable heart replacement device in preparation for clinical
trials. The Jewish Hospital Heart and Lung Institute, in conjunction
with the University of Louisville Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Surgery, will participate in the final stages of research to prepare
for clinical implantation of ABIOMED's battery-powered heart replacement
device.
Under the agreement, a Jewish Hospital
project team, led by Laman A. Gray, Jr., MD and Robert D. Dowling,
MD, of Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville School
of Medicine, will work with ABIOMED to prepare for clinical trials
of their replacement heart.
Jewish Hospital joins such prestigious
institutions as Texas Heart Institute, UCLA and Massachusetts
General / Brigham and Women's Hospital in these final stages of
ABIOMED's replacement heart development.
Over 4,000 people are waiting for heart
transplants nationally, and there are tens of thousands of additional
critically ill patients whose condition makes them unsuitable
for heart transplant. This technology could be the next critical
step in saving patients with end-stage heart disease. "Our
current artificial heart devices [Ventricular Assist Devices or
VADs] help sustain and improve the quality of life while the patient
awaits a transplant," Dr. Gray explains. "The ABIOMED
heart replacement device will be a permanent solution for these
patients - ending their agonizing waiting game."
The replacement heart is totally implanted
and is designed to replace the full pumping function of the human
heart. It is uniquely designed for use by patients with irreparable
damaged hearts and at risk of death due to acute myocardial infarction
(heart attack), chronic ischemic disease or other forms of end-stage
heart failure. It is estimated that such a device could save the
lives of over 60,000 people per year in the United States alone.
"The Jewish Hospital Heart and
Lung Institute is proud to once again be a part of ground breaking
research which will impact the patients of this region and around
the world," explained Henry C. Wagner, President and CEO
of Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services. "Our commitment to
this type of research is unparalleled, as evidenced by our long
relationship with the University of Louisville and our building
of the only free-standing privately-funded heart research center
in the country."
This research has been made possible,
in part, by the Jewish Hospital Foundation.
Dr. Laman Gray is an internationally recognized leader in the
fields of minimally invasive surgery and development of artificial
hearts. Dr. Gray's outstanding accomplishments include performing
the first heart transplant in Kentucky (1984) and the first clinical
use of ABIOMED's SupraCor® IABP (1992). He was also one of
the four primary clinical investigators that brought ABIOMED's
BVS-5000® temporary cardiac support system to clinical approval
by the FDA (1992). He has been the Director of the University
of Louisville School of Medicine's Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Surgery for more than 20 years and is a founding member of the
Jewish Hospital Heart and Lung Institute.
Dr. Robert Dowling was named Assistant
Professor of Surgery at the University of Louisville after receiving
his training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Dowling performed the first double-lung transplant (1995)
and the first ventricular remodeling (1996) in Kentucky. Dr. Dowling
is Director of the Jewish Hospital / University of Louisville
Lung Transplant Program and Director of the Kosair Children's
Hospital Heart Transplant Program.
Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, ABIOMED,
Inc. develops, manufactures and markets innovative cardiovascular,
medical and dental products and is a technology leader in the
research and development of advanced artificial heart systems.
Jewish Hospital is the eighth largest
heart hospital in the United States and, along with the University
of Louisville, is dedicated to excellence in clinical care, research
and education. Jewish Hospital is one of only a few facilities
in the world offering a complete range of surgical treatments
for end-stage heart failure, including transplantation, ventricular
assist devices, cardiomyoplasty and ventricular remodeling.
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