New Pump May Revolutionize Heart Treatment.

• Position: Brief Article

TandemHeart is a small, eight-ounce, centrifugal pump that provides a steady flow of blood throughout the body. Unlike other ventricular assist devices (VADs), it can be used in the cardiac catheterization lab without the need for open-chest surgery.

"When illness, heart attacks, or complications arising from open-heart surgery cause the heart to falter, the TandemHeart assumes the job of pumping blood throughout the body," explains Zafiris Zafirelis, president and CEO of CardiacAssist, Inc., the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based medical device company that developed the pump. "TandemHeart moves the blood continuously, and thus allows the heart time to rest and begin the healing process. This allows the physician much needed time to determine the course of definitive therapy in the most critical moments of patient care."

At this time, no VAD or other circulatory support device adequately serves this clinical need, a shortcoming that contributes to 30-day and one-year mortality rates between 70 and 90%. Unlike the TandemHeart, which can be inserted through the skin, other VADs are pulsatile-flow devices that require surgery on the chest and abdomen for insertion and removal.

Cardiologists currently utilize intra-aortic balloon pumps that provide limited coronary artery perfusion and limited circulatory support. Use of TandemHeart for high-risk patients may help maintain blood circulation approaching normal levels, preserve the heart, limit damage, and extend the time window in which reestablishment of blood supply can be safety performed. Physicians can also utilize the device without subjecting the patient to surgery.

"In less than an...