According to the findings presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, the new device, called the Heartmate II, more than doubled the two-year survival rate, improved quality of life, and proved more durable than its earlier version, HeartMate XVE.
Unlike the HeartMate XVE which mimics the action of the heart, pumping blood in a series of pulses synchronized with pulses of the heart itself, the Heartmate II pushes blood continuously, doing away with the complex part of synchronizing with the heart.
Also, the newer version is smaller (about one-seventh in size), quieter, and more reliable than the HeartMate XVE.
Study of 200 heart patients
The findings surfaced from a trial conducted by the researchers from the University of Louisville and the Duke University Medical Center. 200 end-stage heart failure patients aged between 26 and 81 were enrolled for the study.
While two-thirds of the patients were implanted the HeartMate II, rest received the older version of the mechanical heart pump.
Upon two year follow-up, 58 percent of the patients implanted with the new HeartMate II device were still alive, compared to 24 percent of those fitted with the HeartMate XVE, findings reveal.
Furthermore, 46 percent participants who received the newer version of the device did not suffer a recurrent stroke. They also remained free from the hassles of undergoing a repeat surgery to replace or repair the device, unlike only 11 percent who were fitted with the older device, the findings unfold.
Obstacle for patients
Although the device convincingly boosts heart failure survival and shows the potential to become a widely-used permanent treatment for many end-stage heart failure patients, the question remains: Can we afford it?
Manufactured by California based Thoratec Inc., the HeartMate II costs about $80,000. An additional expenditure of $45,000 pertaining to cost of implantation and hospital charges are also incurred.
"It will allow older people who are not heart transplant patients to stay alive but at a higher cost. It's all about who's going to pay," Dr. Steven Nissen, heart research chief at the Cleveland Clinic averred.
Contesting the charges, Dr. Robert Harrington, heart research chief at Duke University remarked, "Even now the amount of money spent in the care of advanced heart failure patients is extraordinary."
"These are societal questions — how much is too much?" Harrington said.
An estimated 150,000 Americans suffer from advanced heart failure which requires a heart transplant, but only about 2,100 donor hearts are available annually.
The findings of the study feature in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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