Utah heart device may see U.S. market

A heart-assist device developed in Utah has been successfully implanted twice in Greece although it is not yet in the human-testing pipeline in the United States.

The first implant of the Levacor Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) took place in March. It was intended as temporary support for the patient's heart following surgery, said Karl Nelson, administrator of the artificial heart program at LDS Hospital. It worked and was removed in June. He is now home recuperating.

The second patient received the device in May and it is still implanted, he said.

The design for the heart pump started in a University of Utah spin-off company called MedQuest, which was purchased by World Heart Inc. last year. But development and research continue in the airport area industrial complex and staffers on Friday were showing off the technology during an open house.

Dr. James W. Long, medical director of LDS Hospital's artificial-heart program, like Nelson has been involved with creation of the new-generation pump for years and said it's an exciting time in the field of heart technology because territorial barriers are being dropped and experts from different specialties are coming together for the sake of patients.

"The next three to five years will be incredibly exciting" as physicians learn more about which patients benefit the most from such devices, said Long, who has implanted a number of other-brand LVADs. "It's moved beyond being surgeon-driven" into a full collaboration with cardiologists and others. "We're still learning about patient selection so it will be more effective."

He said he believes LVADs will begin to be used earlier, in less-sick patients in the future.

Long expects the Levacor device, which has no touching moving parts and is therefore expected to last longer than current devices, will be in early-stage clinical trials in America next year, looking first at the safety of the device.

It's something the developers have considered for a long time. During the open house, John Kirk explained the animal trials that have taken the device this far. At the University of Utah, the device has been implanted in calves because they're about the right size and have similar circulatory needs. They're monitored carefully to see that the device doesn't injure them or their blood.

All aspects of development were being showcased, from the computer imaging program mechanical engineer Trent Perry showed off to the simulated ventricle and body (which looked like a tank of water) used to check that the loads on the heart are right and to see how the pump responds to changes in the body. Eventually, said Ken Poppleton, the developers hope to create a device that responds to changes in the body, rather than pumping at a preset pace.

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