DEARBORN – Wayne State University School of Medicine and Oakwood Healthcare System surgeons successfully implanted a new device designed to combat congestive heart failure in a 49-year-old patient that has ushered in a new tool to combat a condition that kills 300,000 Americans annually.
The April 1 surgery took place at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in
Dearborn. The patient, a Hamtramck man, was suffering from an advanced
stage of congestive heart failure.
Surgeons said the patient is “doing well,” and was expected to remain
in the hospital between five and seven days. The average hospital stay for
an open heart surgery patient is eight to 10 days.
The entire procedure took 1 hour and six minutes. Traditional open
heart surgery takes hours.
Designated PEERLESS-HF (Prospective Evaluation of Elastic Restraint to
LESSen the effects of Heart Failure), the HeartNet therapy researched
collaboratively by the School of Medicine and Oakwood Healthcare System
involves an implantable device that wraps around the heart to increase its
pumping ability.
The HeartNet is an elasticized structure implanted via a minimally
invasive procedure. Essentially, the device snugs around and conforms to
the heart in a gentle hug, augmenting the function of the heart, and
potentially preventing congestive heart failure from advancing by reversing
the progressive enlargement of the failing heart. This process allows
surgeons to make an incision less than an inch long, opposed to a
traditional open heart surgery incision, which can be 12 inches.
Dilated cardiomyopathy, one major cause of congestive heart failure, is
a condition in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, reducing its
ability to pump efficiently. The condition is characterized by a
compromising of the heart’s ability to squeeze, and often by seepage of
fluid into the lungs, feet, legs or abdominal cavity. The heart muscle’s
inability to keep up with the body’s demands can cause the heart to
enlarge, increasing stress on the heart wall. The HeartNet counteracts the
condition through gentle pressure on the heart.
The American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America
estimate that more than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with heart
failure and that 500,000 more diagnoses are made each year. Heart failure
is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the U.S. Only about half of
Americans diagnosed with heart failure will survive more than five years.
Each year, more than 300,000 people die from the condition.
The Wayne State University School of Medicine was selected as one of 30
international sites for a clinical research study of HeartNet. Oakwood
Healthcare System is one of the School of Medicine’s health affiliates and
has one of the largest open heart programs in metropolitan Detroit, making
Oakwood the ideal location for leading-edge clinical trials and studies
such as this.
The HeartNet was invented and manufactured by Paracor Medical Inc.,
based in Sunnyvale, Calif. Paracor plans to enroll patients at up to 30
U.S. centers under an investigational device exemption that has been
reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
With more than 1,000 students, Wayne’s School of Medicine is the nation’s
largest single-campus medical school. Together with the Wayne State
University Physician Group and 13 hospital partners, the school is a leader
in medical education, biomedical research, and patient care. Its programs
of excellence include cancer, maternal-child health, neurosciences, and
population studies and urban health.
For more information, Med.Wayne.Edu
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