| Tucson,
Ariz. – July 11, 2007 – On June
7, biomedical engineer Richard G. Smith, MSEE, CCE,
was honored by the American Society for Artificial Internal
Organs (ASAIO) for his “success in the clinical
application of artificial hearts and VADs against overwhelming
odds and criticisms.”
Biomedical engineer Richard Smith holds the Barney
Clark Award bestowed on him by the American Society
for Artificial Internal Organs. Smith is also holding
the CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart,
which has been implanted in more than 650 patients
worldwide. |
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The award
recognized Smith as a “leader in moving
the Total Artificial Heart from failure to highly
successful clinical applications,” at ASAIO’s
53rd Annual Conference, held in Chicago, June
7-9. Smith received the Barney Clark Award 25
years after its namesake, Barney Clark, was implanted
with the Jarvik 7, in 1982.
“It’s not hard
to be a wingman to Dr. Copeland,” Smith
said. “He’s truly a pioneer and leader
in heart devices, and especially the CardioWest
temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t).”
Smith and world-renowned
cardiac surgeon Jack Copeland, M.D., both started
at University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson,
Ariz., in 1977. The two began working together
in 1985. Together that year, they performed the
world’s first successful bridge to transplant
(BTT) using the Jarvik 7 artificial heart. The
use of the artificial heart as a bridge to transplant
marked a medical milestone because the device
was designed and then used as a permanent artificial
heart from 1982 to 1985.
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“Receiving this award truly
was an honor,” Smith said, “but it’s
hard to ever envision getting an award for doing the
work you love.”
The Jarvik 7 became the CardioWest™
TAH-t when UMC took over development in the early 1990s.
Budget cutbacks at UMC came close to stopping the study
of this technology. To save the TAH-t, SynCardia Systems,
Inc., was formed in 2001 by Smith, Copeland, and Marvin
J. Slepian, M.D. The company is the current manufacturer
of the TAH-t.
This device is the first and
only temporary artificial heart to receive FDA and CE
mark approval. The device is currently designated as
a bridge to transplant. Over 650 patients have received
the TAH-t, accounting for over 100 patient years of
life on the device.
A study of the TAH-t published
August 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM
2004; 351: 859-867) showed that 79 percent of patients
receiving the TAH-t survived to transplant, the highest
survival rate for any device. The TAH-t also has the
highest cardiac output (up to 9.5L/min) and the shortest
blood path of any mechanical circulatory support device.
The short blood path reduces the risk for thromboembolitic
events.
# # #
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.
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