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Mechanical Assist Device Program History

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) has been at the forefront of clinical use of mechanical assist device technology.  The Cardiovascular Surgery department  has participated in multiple clinical trials of new state of the art  technology. 
As a participant in the groundbreaking NIH multicenter trial of ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) in 1975,  the use of sustained heart/lung bypass was studied in patients with devastating heart and lung injuries.  It is still utilized today in selected patients requiring rapid restoration of circulation.
 
 

As a participant in the clinical trial of the HeartMateTM Vented Electric Left Ventricular Assist System,  HUP was the first center in the Delaware Valley to send a patient home on the device while waiting for a transplant.  After 208 days of support, the patient was successfully transplanted.  As of February, 2002, over 90  patients have been supported with the HeartMate family of LVADs.

The study of CardioMyoplasty, the use of skeletal muscle wrap to support failing ventricles, was the precursor for the idea that structured support of the heart could stop and perhaps reverse dilation, reducing symptoms of heart failure

and halting the progression of the disease.  As one of  5 initial centers studying this concept, the randomized trial of the ACORN CorCapTM has now expanded to over 20 centers.
 
The LionHeartTM LVAS, manufactured by Arrow International, Inc., is the first fully implantable device to undergo clinical trial.  It is designed to be used as a long term option for individuals who have severe heart failure and who are not transplant candidates.  HUP is one of only 5 centers in the US participating in the Phase I clinical trial.


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