re: ann. out re 2nd patient.... Ventracor ‘Artificial Heart’ Pilot Trial Update Sydney, 7 October 2003: Medical investigators today provided a progress report on the Pilot Trial of the VentrAssist™ ‘artificial heart’ at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne. Chief Medical Investigators, Professor Don Esmore and Professor David Kaye, said the second patient to receive an implant of the VentrAssist™ left ventricular assist system (LVAS) had been discharged from hospital. “Our second patient continues to make an excellent recovery. He was discharged on the 35th day since his implant. This is 18 days earlier than the first patient, who continues to do well at home,” Professor Esmore said. At the discretion of the medical investigators, further implants are expected to be performed at The Alfred hospital shortly. The Pilot Trial evaluates the safety of the VentrAssist™ in up to 10 patients. Patients who are implanted with the VentrAssist™ system are gravely ill. They are not eligible for a heart transplant and are no longer responding to optimal medical therapy. While individual outcomes are very important, it is the accumulation of all data on the safety of the device that will decide the outcome of the trial.
VCR
ventracor limited
