|
Artificial Heart Doubles Odds
of Living Another Year:
Heart transplant eligible patients, who are near death from
end stage biventricular heart failure, increase their odds
of living another year from 31 percent to 70 percent, when
they are bridged to transplant with the CardioWest TAH-t,
based on a comparison with a set of historical control patients
who were matched to the patients receiving the artificial
heart (New England Journal of Medicine 2004; 351: 859-867).
The CardioWest TAH‑t is an air-driven
pulsatile pump that is implanted as a bridge to human heart
transplantation in heart failure patients who have severe
biventricular failure. The failing native heart is removed
prior to implantation with the TAH‑t. The pump
is driven by a pneumatic console (often termed “Big
Blue” because of its large size) that provides the compressed
air that is needed to operate the CardioWest TAH‑t.
After implantation of the CardioWest TAH‑t, most patients
experience improved blood perfusion to other organs in the
body, reversal of end organ dysfunction, physical rehabilitation,
improved quality of life and survival to heart transplantation.
Your cardiac healthcare professional will determine if you
are a candidate for the CardioWest TAH‑t.
|
