|
Tucson, Ariz.-November 1, 2006 –
Washington University surgeons at Barnes-Jewish Hospital will begin training at
UMC in Tucson on November 2nd to become one of only nine hospitals in the U.S.
certified to implant the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH‑t).
The heart transplant team, led by Dr. Nader Moazami, will be the first in the
St. Louis area to be certified to implant the TAH‑t, a modern version of the Jarvik-7
Artificial Heart.
"Many patients are too sick to wait for heart transplants.
With a limited supply of donor hearts, the TAH‑t is another viable alternative
we will offer to patients who otherwise may not survive," explained Dr. Moazami.
Ranked #10 on the U.S. News and World Report’s
Best Heart Hospitals of 2006, the Barnes-Jewish program has earned a reputation
for taking on the most challenging cases, including patients who may have been
turned down at other implant centers. The TAH‑t offers hope to the most critically
ill patients, often those with a life expectancy of only hours or days.
Since 1985, Washington University surgeons at Barnes-Jewish
Hospital have performed more than 500 heart transplants. The program is known
as one of the leading centers in the country for post-transplant care and use
of cardiac assist devices.
Dr. Moazami has been the surgical director of the heart
transplant program at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital since July
2001. Prior to coming to St. Louis, he completed a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship
at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where he specialized in the surgical treatment
of heart failure, ventricular assist devices and heart transplantation.
"We know that it (TAH‑t) salvages a large number
of patients who are really spiraling downward so rapidly that there’s no
other device that can bring them back and this device (the TAH‑t) does it,"
said Dr. Jack Copeland, who has been a leader in artificial heart surgery since
1985.
The CardioWest™ TAH‑t replaces the patient's dying
heart. In most patients it is able to restore cardiac output. This facilitates
recovery of vital organs, such as the liver and kidneys that have declined because
of low blood flow. This improves the condition of patients who were near death
from end stage biventricular heart failure. The TAH‑t makes them better able to
survive a heart transplant.
According to the pivotal clinical study of the TAH‑t
in the New England Journal of Medicine, receiving a CardioWest™ TAH‑t increases
the patient’s odds of living another year from 31% to 70%. Once transplanted,
these once near-death patients have an 86% chance of living another year and a
64% chance of living five years or more (NEJM 2004; 351: 859-867).
The first phase in the three part TAH‑t certification
program begins at the Sarver Heart Center at University Medical Center, in Tucson,
Arizona. Phases two and three of certification training will take place at Barnes
Jewish Hospital. The training classes are taught by Marvin Slepian, M.D., Richard
Smith MSEE, CCE, and noted heart surgeon, Jack Copeland, M.D., the founders of
SynCardia Systems, Inc., manufacturers of the CardioWest™ TAH‑t.
# # #
Media contact:
SynCardia Director of Communications
Donald Isaacs
Cell: 520-955-0660
About the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial
Heart
The CardioWest™ TAH‑t is a pneumatic, biventricular, implantable bridge-to-transplant
system for full cardiac replacement, taking the place of the failing heart in
patients at imminent risk of death. The device offers full circulatory support,
the shortest blood path and exposure to artificial surfaces, and the highest level
of cardiac output when compared with other artificial heart systems previously
tested. With the CardioWest™ TAH‑t, patients become better candidates for
eventual transplantation and have post-transplant survival rates equal to that
of non-device cardiac recipients.
About SynCardia Systems
Founded in 2001, SynCardia Systems is the developer of biomechanical cardiac replacement
and assist devices. Its CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH‑t)
is designed for severely ill patients with end-stage congestive heart failure.
The device serves as an in-hospital bridge-to-transplantation for patients at
imminent risk of death. SynCardia Systems is based in Tucson, Arizona and is on
the Web at http://www.syncardia.com.
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:
- Resources for Reporters
|
