Second hospital in Izmir establishes VAD program for patients suffering from heart failure

Berlin, 24 June 2010. The Dokuz Eylul University Hospital in Izmir (Turkey) has just initiated their VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) program. This is the second hospital in Izmir, which offers patients suffering from end-stage heart failure a life-saving therapy.

The VAD systems are used for mechanical support of the heart function. In most cases these devices are implanted in order to bridge the waiting time for a matching donor heart in patients requiring heart transplantation. On rare occasions the mechanical support can lead to recovery of the heart and subsequent explantation of the system. For patients who cannot receive a heart transplantation, the device represents a life-saving alternative.

Just like the EGE University Hospital in Izmir, which is already running a really successful VAD program, the Dokuz Eylul University Hospital started the ventricular assist device program by implanting two consecutive BVAD cases. Prof. Öztekin Oto – the head of the VAD program at the Dokuz Eylul University Hospital - implanted his first blood pump “EXCOR®” in a 50-year-old patient suffering from dilative cardiomyopathy a few weeks ago. The day before the system was implanted, the patient´s condition deteriorated so rapidly, that Prof. Oto had to implant the EXCOR system which is manufactured by the German company Berlin Heart. A team from Berlin Heart came to provide professional support during and after the operation. The device now bridges the time until a matching donor heart becomes available. Prof. Oto recalls: “The implantation went very well, the patient meanwhile is mobilized and even switched to the mobile driving unit. He will be discharged home soon”. Dr. Stefan Thamasett, General Manager at Berlin Heart is happy about the great success the Turkish doctors are achieving. “In Turkey donor hearts are hardly available, the situation is even worse than in Germany. Therefore we are glad that our devices enable the surgeons to save the lives of those severely ill patients. At the beginning of this month the second EXCOR patient was implanted by Prof. Oto.
By the end of June the whole VAD team of the Dokuz Eylul University Hospital is invited to Berlin Heart in order to attend the Berlin Heart Academy. During the visit they will be trained on the pre- and post-operative patient management.

About EXCOR®
EXCOR is a paracorporeal ventricular assist device for patients of all age groups, from newborns to adults. It is used for short-, mid- and long-term cardiac support and can support failing hearts for any duration from a couple of days to several months and years. Since the first implantation in 1988 EXCOR has been implanted in more than 2.000 patients worldwide.
EXCOR® is currently under clinical investigation for pediatric use in USA. All other products are not FDA approved.

About Berlin Heart
Berlin Heart GmbH is the only company worldwide that develops, produces, and distributes implantable and external ventricular assist devices for patients of every age and body size. The company is the market leader in Germany and Europe.

Berlin Heart GmbH
Kerstin Unkel
Wiesenweg 10
12247 Berlin

This release was published on openPR.