As an axial-flow pump optimized for its role supporting the heart, the Jarvik 2000® moves blood out of the heart at an impressive flow rate. With only one moving part, it is also totally silent. It is designed to be as “forgettable” as an implanted device can be — an ideal that drives the design of all of Jarvik Heart’s products.
The Jarvik 2000® Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) is the smallest available at 30cc volume and 90g in weight, which gives it important advantages over other available systems. The Jarvik 2000® is small enough to fit inside the left ventricle which is not the case with any other VADs. Some Larger VADs also require creation of a “pump pocket” which has been shown to cause discomfort and increased risk for infection. The Jarvik 2000® does not require a pump pocket because the whole unit sits inside the left ventricle and allows the surrounding structures and ventricle to continue normal function, filling with and ejecting blood with the additional assistance of the pump.
The small size of the Jarvik 2000® while being able to provide more than adequate flow to support the largest patients, 8.5L, also makes it easy to implant and a viable treatment option for smaller adults and large children: in fact, it has been implanted successfully in patients as young as 11 years old. Jarvik Heart is also at work developing an even smaller pump specifically for lower flows targeted initially for use in infants and younger children.