Inova Fairfax Hospital stays on the cutting edge of artificial heart technology

Heart Smart

Patients at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute are taking part in a medical trial that is testing state-of-the-art artificial heart pump technology.

Artificial heart pumps allow patients with advanced heart failure to live more normal lives while awaiting heart transplants. The technology has come a long way since the first heart pump was implanted in an Inova patient in 1990.

“We’re always looking for the better pump or the next generation of equipment or treatment that may have things we don’t have now,” says Shashank Desai, MD, Medical Director of Inova’s Heart Failure and Transplant Program. “For example, every iteration is getting smaller. We’re going to get to the point where [these devices] are the size of a thimble.”

The device that Dr. Desai and others at Inova Fairfax are testing — the HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System — provides better quality of life for patients through a smaller and easier-to-use controller, and is easier for surgeons to implant. It also features a unique magnetically levitated blood flow technology aimed to minimize complications.

Beyond this trial, Inova Heart and Vascular Institute remains committed to providing heart failure patients with comprehensive care.

“The entire arena of heart failure is exploding with new medications, therapies and newer devices,” says Dr. Desai. “The goal of the Inova heart failure system is not just to give patients transplants or [implant artificial pumps], it’s to offer a full gamut of services, even to patients who might not qualify for [artificial pump] therapy.”

Learn more about Inova Heart and Vascular Institute at inovaheart.org.