Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Expands Use of Implant Heart Assist Device
Thursday, February 03, 2005
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) will now offer mechanical heart pumps as a long-term treatment option for seriously ill heart patients who are not eligible for heart transplants.
The technology, known as left ventricular assist devices or LVADs, has previously been offered at RWJUH as a temporary treatment for patients awaiting a heart transplant.
The pump is external to the body and accepts blood from the left ventricle, pumps it back through the heart chamber, and then on to the rest of the body. It has been approved by the FDA as a temporary measure since 1994 and as a permanent or destination therapy since 2002.
RWJUH is one of the few hospitals in New Jersey offering LVADs as either a temporary or destination treatment. It is also one of only two heart transplantation centers in New Jersey.
"Ventricular assist devices are an important treatment options for patients with severe heart impairments. Whether as a temporary or long-term, life-sustaining option, they have earned a place as a valuable tool for severe heart conditions," said Dr. Mark Anderson, Director of the Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgical Program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Associate Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
LVAD components include an implanted blood pump, an external system controller, and an external power supply component. The pump is a cylinder of rigid titanium housing with a flexible diaphragm. One half of the cavity is a blood chamber, the other is a chamber for the electric motor. The rotation of the motor displaces the diaphragm and ejects the blood. Blood passes from the left ventricle into the device through an inflow valve, and exits the device into the aorta through a similar outflow valve.
To be considered, LVAD candidates must have advanced NYHA class IV heart failure and are not transplant candidates or are transplant candidates but will likely not receive a transplant because of severe impairment.
LVAD implantation and long-term use carries substantial risk and is considered for patients where the possible benefits outweigh the possible risks.
The Heart Center of New Jersey at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital offers both adult and pediatric patients the latest in medical treatment, advanced technology and clinical research.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.
Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.
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