December 23, 2009
Terumo Heart, Inc., has announced that one of its earliest patients to receive the DuraHeart™ Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) has received a donor heart transplant, nearly four years after receiving the mechanical circulatory support device. Rudolf Schmidthorst, 63, of Germany, became one of the longest-living recipients of this device designed to aid the pumping action of the heart in order to circulate blood throughout his body. “I am so very lucky to have received a new heart, and another new opportunity to live my life,” said Rudolf Schmidthorst. “The DuraHeart made it possible for me to reach this day.”
A heart attack detected too late caused irreparable damage to the patient’s myocardium (layer of the heart wall). Physicians at the Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart and Diabetes center NRW, University Hospital of the Ruhr-University of Botchum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, determined Schmidthorst´s need for a heart transplant, but were fairly certain he would not survive while waiting for a donor heart without the help of an LVAS.
“Patients suffering from late-stage heart failure, and in need of a transplant, are often at the mercy of an unpredictable timeline for a compatible donor heart,” said Professor Jan Gummert, M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Director of the Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart and Diabetes center NRW, University Hospital of the Ruhr-University of Bochum in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. “Device performance and durability are critical for these patients, and the DuraHeart has consistently shown its ability to deliver long-term benefits. We have tremendous confidence in the device.”
The intent of the implant of the DuraHeart LVAS was to provide a bridge to transplant. Due to the scarcity of donor organs, patients can sometimes be on the waiting list for many months until a suitable donor becomes available. During that time, a patient’s condition can deteriorate dramatically until no other alternative is available to them. The left ventricular assist systems offer the patient a second chance while waiting for a suitable donor
“I have been able to live a normal life with the DuraHeart,” said Schmidthorst. “Over the past four years, the external components of the DuraHeart became a natural extension of my body, allowing me to do most everything and go anywhere. I truly appreciate the second chance that this life-sustaining technology provided to me until a suitable donor heart became available.”
More than 22 million people suffer from heart failure worldwide with approximately one million new patients diagnosed annually. In the setting of an aging global population, heart failure is the number one reason for hospitalization. The most severely ill patients need heart transplants in order to recover. More than 8,000 people worldwide are on the list of eligible candidates for heart transplants annually, but less than 3,000 will receive a transplant each year.
A large number of people who suffer from severe heart failure do not qualify for transplantation due to other health issues. An alternative for these patients is access to artificial mechanical assist devices. Left Ventricular Assist Systems are a type of mechanical circulatory device specifically designed to improve the quality of life of the patients waiting for donor hearts, as well as those who are ineligible for a heart transplant.
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