ReliantHeart (Houston, Texas) has announced that its aVAD intraventricular heart pump won approval in the European union, allowing the company to begin implants in the coming months. The device, while only 2.5 centimeters in diameter, still has a 1.2 cm main channel for the blood to flow through. It rests outside the ventricle, while a component that is inserted into the heart contains an adjustable pump depth mechanism to provide optimal action for individual patients.
According to ReliantHeart, the company substantially reduced the power consumption of the pump compared to competitors, down to as little as 30% of the usage by other ventricular assist devices. It also features flow measurement and 3G cellular-powered remote monitoring, allowing the clinical team to notice problems and make corrections sooner, regardless of where the patient goes.
The pump is actually modeled on the already approved HeartAssist 5 device, having exactly the same blood path, but offering more power. This led to a quick approval by the European authorities and ReliantHeart hopes human trials to begin in the U.S. next year.
The pump is already being manufactured with initial implantations to begin as early as September in Germany, Turkey, and U.K.
Here’s a company video introducing the aVAD:
Product page: aVAD…
Via: ReliantHeart…