SPECIALIZED CARE AND VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICES HELP SAVE PATIENTS LIVES AFTER UNSUCCESSFUL HEART SURGERY

Findings Presented During The Society Of Thoracic Surgeons' 35th Annual Meeting In San Antonio, TX, Identify How Focused Care And VAD Use Help Patients Overcome Potentially Fatal Complications – Health Centers Urged To Review Data To Improve Survival Rates

(San Antonio, TX) – Patients who develop typically fatal complications after heart surgery can overcome the complications in a specialized medical facility via the implantation of a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) on a temporary, semi-permanent, or bridge-to-transplant basis according to a study presented today at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons' 35th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX. A VAD is a highly specialized implantable device to help the heart pump blood.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City and colleagues, studied the effectiveness of establishing a regional network of specialized care around a heart transplant facility. The purpose of this network was to improve the odds of survival for patients suffering from serious complications after heart surgery. The transplant facility operated as a center where all doctors in the network sent patients who had serious complications. Most patients in the study were placed on a ventricular assist device (VAD) at the center.

In assessing the success of their strategy, the authors write, "…The establishment of an implantable VAD network (can help significantly improve a patient's survival rate when complications develop after heart surgery). An additional benefit (of this approach) is the preservation of scarce donor hearts (for heart transplant patients). We encourage centers (with VAD experience) and (heart) transplant programs to develop similar regional networks and actively identify patients whom can benefit (from the aggressive management of complications after heart surgery)."

The study included 44 patients. Of the 44, 29 patients or 66% survived and were discharged from the hospital. Patients with similar complications generally have a 25% survival rate. More than half, or 16, of the 29 surviving patients required an implanted VAD. Nearly all of the patients, or 14, were supported by their VAD until they received a heart transplant. The remaining 2 patients recovered enough of their heart's "function," or blood pumping ability, to have their VADs removed.

Dr. Oz adds, "I believe these findings represent an important step for cardiothoracic surgeons to help patients overcome potentially fatal complications after heart surgery. Up until now, surgeons had very few options to offer patients dying from heart failure. My hope is that this study encourages medical caregivers to continue seeking remedies that help patients recover from surgery. Patients and their families should urge their medical care providers to seek the care of highly specialized centers for the management of complex heart patients. I strongly encourage all medical care providers specializing in heart disease to closely examine this study and to assess if developing a VAD network in their area is feasible."

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is the membership society for thoracic surgeons in the United States. With over 4,100 members, the society represents the surgical practice areas of cardiac surgery (heart), general thoracic surgery (pulmonary, lung, esophagus, and mediastinum), pediatric thoracic surgery, and transplant surgery. The society is committed to saving, extending, and improving the quality of life for all Americans.