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Heart Failure Device Tested for First Time in U.S.
Heart Failure Device Tested for First Time in U.S.
Doctors punch hole in heart wall, implant dime-sized device to help diastolic heart failure.
By The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center02.25.16
The first randomized trial in the United States to study a new implant for patients with diastolic heart failure is underway. Diastolic heart failure means a patient’s heart beats normally, but doesn’t relax enough to completely fill with blood between beats. The condition ultimately makes the heart muscles rigid and, with no place to go, excess blood often seeps back to the lungs, causing serious breathing problems.
“Unfortunately, there have been no effective therapies for these patients for decades,” said Dr. Rami Kahwash, a cardiologist and the study’s principal investigator at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Other than giving patients diuretics to help with fluid buildup, we haven’t had much to offer them. Hopefully, this device will change that.”
The device, a small dime-sized wire shunt, is implanted in the heart to help with excess buildup of blood. “During a heart catheterization, we punch a hole in the wall of the heart and use this device to hold it open,” said Dr. Kahwash. “That hole helps divert blood into the right atrium, acting somewhat like a dam, to relieve pressure and help the heart function more efficiently.”
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