For end-stage congestive heart failure patients, replacement of the diseased heart with a healthy one is the established long-term treatment, and it is very effective. But the demand for donor hearts far exceeds the supply, a problem that drives the research on mechanical devices such as the Jarvik 2000 LVAS. In the U.S., the Jarvik 2000 is FDA-approved only as a bridge to transplant, but clinical trials are underway in Europe to establish the Jarvik 2000 for lifetime use in the treatment of severe heart failure.
Dr. O.H. Frazier, chief of cardiopulmonary transplantation at Texas Heart Institute, believes that the Jarvik 2000 may be a suitable alternative to transplants for some heart failure patients. "We hope this technology will replace transplants for many of these patients," Dr. Frazier recently told the Associated Press.
Link to a story in the press on this topic:
Title: Doctors at Texas Heart Institute Promoting Heart Pump as Solution for Some Patients
Source: The Associated Press
Date: 7/9/2003