Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced the company has capacity and supply to effectively support the growing demand for mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices for the effective treatment of advanced heart failure following Medtronic‘s decision to stop the global distribution and sale of the Medtronic HeartWare™ ventricular assist device (HVAD).
Abbott is also supporting training and education programs for additional physicians who will now be offering Abbott’s HeartMate 3™ heart pumps to their patients.
For patients with advanced heart failure who are either awaiting a heart transplant or not eligible for transplantation, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) remain a critical option that can extend survival and restore quality of life. To support patients and their physicians, Abbott’s HeartMate 3 heart pump is available to physicians and patients around the world in markets where the technology has been approved for use.
“For years we have seen truly life-saving results in patients treated with mechanical circulatory support devices. Ensuring continued access to these devices is critical for patients,” said Mike Pederson, senior vice president of Abbott’s electrophysiology and heart failure business. “We are working to ensure that physicians have the support and training they need as they further adopt HeartMate 3 to improve outcomes for their advanced heart failure patients.”
Abbott’s HeartMate 3 heart pump is a small, implantable mechanical circulatory support device for advanced heart failure patients requiring either short- or long-term support who are awaiting a heart transplant or who are not candidates for heart transplantation. The pump has a proven mortality benefit and strong safety profile that has led to longer, improved lives for thousands of advanced heart failure patients around the world. In a recent study of risk adjusted and propensity matched patients supported with the HeartMate 3 published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, actuarial survival rates were found to be 87% at one year and 84% at two years.
In addition to extending the lives of patients with advanced heart failure, Abbott’s HeartMate 3 heart pump can significantly improve quality of life and reduce adverse events. In addition, HeartMate 3 is approved for pediatric use. To date, nearly 18,000 patients around the world have been supported by the HeartMate 3 heart pump.