July 1, 2014 — BioVentrix announced the successful completion of it 50th clinical case using the Revivent myocardial anchoring system in a 74-year-old male at the OLV Hospital in Aalst, Belgium. The case comes on the heels of other successful cases performed recently in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Performed by OLV staff surgeons Filip Casselman, M.D., Ph.D., and Bernard Stockman, M.D., the case marks the first time that the Less Invasive Ventricular Enhancement or LIVE procedure has been performed in Belgium. Recognized as a top-tier research facility, OLV is particularly well known for its adoption of groundbreaking technology in the fields of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery.
"OLV remains at the forefront of implementing promising less-invasive surgical technologies to address the overwhelming need for better heart failure treatment options,” said Casselman. “The adoption of the Revivent system allows us to treat the underlying cause of heart failure by reshaping the left ventricle of the heart to operate more efficiently. Immediately after placement of the device, the patient’s ejection fraction, the most revealing measure of heart function, had already improved.”
Prior to the Revivent system, reshaping of the left ventricle used an invasive procedure known as surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR) to remove the scarred, non-functioning tissue created by a heart attack. The invasive nature of SVR limits its use because it requires stopping the patient’s heart and supporting it with cardiopulmonary (heart-lung) bypass while incisions into the heart muscle are made to remove the tissue. Placement of the Revivent System via the LIVE procedure obviates these requirements. Instead, small titanium anchors are placed along the outer surface of the heart and along one of the interior walls. The anchors are then pulled toward one another, effectively excluding the scarred, and non-functioning heart wall. The efficiency of the remaining heart muscle is immediately improved, by as much as 30-40 percent.[i] Presentation of recent scientific data indicates that in 92 percent of patients, the efficacy results were durable beyond one year.[ii]
For more information: bioventrix.com
References:
1.Wechsler, A. et al, Clinical benefits twelve months after less invasive ventricular restoration operations without ventriculotomy. Abstract 104 at the 27th annual meeting of the European Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, 07 Oct. 2013, Vienna, Austria.
2.Ibid.