Leviticus Cardio & Jarvik heart Unveil groundbreaking wireless heart pump system
The FIVAD (Fully implanted Ventricular assist Device) was presented to the public at the announcement of successful human implant. A groundbreaking piece of medical technology was revealed to the public at the National Research Center for Cardiac Surgery in Astana, Kazakhstan. At a press conference held at the Center, top heart failure experts from around the world announced the successful implantation of FIVAD (Fully Implanted Ventricular Assist Device) into a human.
FIVAD is based on technology created by Leviticus Cardio, a medical technology company headquartered in Israel. It uses patented Coplanar Energy Transfer (CET) to wirelessly power a heart pump – a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). FIVAD incorporates a heart pump produced by Jarvik Heart, an established manufacturer of ventricular assist devices.
Every year, VADs are surgically implanted into thousands of patients with severe heart failure in lieu of heart transplants. VADs need to continuously be connected to a power source which requires patients to have a wire coming out of their bodies. This not only severely reduces the patients’ quality of life but, in over 20% of cases, causes infections which can hospitalization and severe complications.
FIVAD is a fully implanted VAD system, a Jarvik 2000 pump, powered wirelessly using both internal and external components designed by Leviticus Cardio, which allows patients to walk around without any physical impediments for up to 8 hours.
After years of development and animal testing, the first implant of FIVAD in a human took place in December at the National Research Center for Cardiac Surgery in Astana, Kazakhstan. The operation was a success. The patient has been discharged from the hospital and is back a normal life. He was in the audience during the press conference and later sat down for interviews with journalists.
FIVAD is also equipped with a back-up system (Jarvik Heart, Post Auricular driveline connection) which would allow moving to traditional wired power in case the wireless system failed. While the back-up was tested during the implant procedure, it has not been needed since that initial implant test.
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/