Heart Failure Device Tested For First Time In The United States
Doctors punch hole in heart wall, implant dime-size device to help diastolic heart failure
This graphic shows how a new device may help those who have diastolic heart failure. Doctors create an opening in the heart wall and insert this device to keep it open, which allows for `overflow` blood to move between chambers, easing pressure on the heart and arteries.Image Downloads
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The first randomized trial in the United States to study a new implant for patients with diastolic heart failure is underway. Diastolic heart failure means a patient’s heart beats normally, but doesn’t relax enough to completely fill with blood between beats. The condition ultimately makes the heart muscles rigid and, with no place to go, excess blood often seeps back to the lungs, causing serious breathing problems.
“Unfortunately, there have been no effective therapies for these patients for decades,” said Dr. Rami Kahwash, a cardiologist and the study’s principal investigator at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Other than giving patients diuretics to help with fluid buildup, we haven’t had much to offer them. Hopefully, this device will change that.The device, a small dime-sized wire shunt, is implanted in the heart to help with
The device, a small dime-sized wire shunt, is implanted in the heart to help with excess buildup of blood. “During a heart catheterization, we punch a hole in the wall of the heart and use this device to hold it open,” said Kahwash. “That hole helps divert blood into the right atrium, acting somewhat like a dam, to relieve pressure and help the heart function more efficiently.”
Dr. Scott Lilly performs a heart catheterization on Janet Wickham at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as part of a study to investigate a new device for diastolic heart failure.
Janet Wickham undergoes an exam at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as part of a study to test a new device designed to help those with diastolic heart failure.
This graphic shows how a new device may help those who have diastolic heart failure. Doctors create an opening in the heart wall and insert this device to keep it open, which allows for `overflow` blood to move between chambers, easing pressure on the heart and arteries.
This small wire implant, designed for patients with diastolic heart failure, is being studied by doctors at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and 19 other centers worldwide.
Next to a dime for perspective, this small wire device is designed to hold open a surgically created hole in the heart of diastolic heart failure patients.
Dr. Rami Kahwash examines a patient at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he is part of a new study evaluating a small, wire implant for patients with diastolic heart failure.
A nurse conducts an exam on Janet Wickham at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Wickham is the first patient in the United States enrolled in a new study to evaluate an implant designed to help those with diastolic heart failure.
