Of Grey's Anatomy and LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device)

Filed in archive Medical Devices , Studies on August 30, 2007

In Grey's Anatomy, towards the end of this phenomenal show's season 1, (if you are a fan/follower of Grey's Anatomy like I am) you will remember the character Denny Duquette (character played by jeffrey dean morgan) who was implanted a device to help his heart function and pump blood to his other organs while waiting for his heart transplant.

[In Photo: Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Denny Duquette in Grey's Anatomy Season 1]

The said device is very much like the experimental device called HeartMate II® left ventricular assist device or LVAD.

Remember that Dr. Stevens cut Denny's LVAD wire so that his condition will worsen for him to win the donor's heart?

But anyway...going away from Grey's Anatomy and going back to the LVAD:

[In Photo: The HeartMate II left ventricular assist device, which is implanted into the body and helps pump blood in patients with severe heart failure. (Credit: Thoratec Corp.)]

The HeartMate II® LVAD is one of four in a new generation of heart-assisting implants that push the blood out of the heart in a continuous flow, rather than a pulsing flow approach used in older devices already on the market.

Thoratec Corporation is the maker of this wonderful device.

HeartMate II is a much smaller version of the larger HeartMate LVAD that is already in the market.

A study conducted by a team co-led by a University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center surgeon and a Washington Hospital Center cardiologist found that not only did the device helped 75 percent of patients stay alive for at least six months or until a donor heart became available, the device also helped patients' original hearts regain function and allowed their other organs to heal by restoring blood flow.

The patients' quality of life is significantly improved by this LVAD that even one patient recovered so fully that a transplant was no longer needed.

Results of this particular study are published in the August 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

According to Francis Pagani, M.D., Ph.D., co-lead author of the new paper and the director of the U-M Cardiovascular Center's Center for Circulatory Support:

"As a bridge to transplant, the HeartMate II is showing excellent survival, good recovery potential for the heart, kidneys and liver, and a favorable impact on quality of life.

These results suggest it would be a very good addition to the options that physicians have for treating patients who require ventricular assistance while they wait for a new heart, and that it has the potential to last years rather than months."

Find more details about LVAD and the new findings.