Heart failure, a condition where the heart becomes too weak to pump blood effectively, can be significantly improved with an implantable heart pump. A study sponsored by the device manufacturer suggests that this pump could reduce the risk of blood clots, bleeding, and stroke in patients with advanced heart failure.
The research involved over a thousand patients fitted with Abbott’s HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) or the HeartMate II. After a two-year follow-up, it was observed that approximately 75 percent of the patients in the HeartMate 3 group were still alive, without any disabling stroke, and didn’t require further surgical intervention to address a malfunctioning device. In comparison, only around 61 percent of the patients in the HeartMate II group met these criteria.
Additionally, while almost 14 percent of the patients with HeartMate II experienced clotting issues related to the pump, this occurred in only 1.4 percent of patients with HeartMate 3. As a result, disabling stroke was reduced to 5 percent in the HeartMate 3 group, compared to 7.5 percent in the HeartMate II group.
The findings suggest that the HeartMate 3 LVAD shows promising results in reducing complications and prolonging the lives of patients with advanced heart failure, offering new hope for improved treatment options.
