Abbott introduces HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist system

Abbott recently announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its Full MagLev HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System (also known as an LVAD). The HeartMate 3 system provides a new option for physicians managing advanced heart failure patients in need of short-term hemodynamic support (bridge-to-transplant or bridge to myocardial recovery). The system also provides patients living with their device new benefits that embody the evolution of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy, such as improved blood flow in a pump that uses full magnetic levitation to reduce trauma to blood passing through the system.

More than 5.7 million people in the U.S. suffer from heart failure and approximately 915,000 new patients are diagnosed with the disease each year. For advanced heart failure patients who can no longer rely on earlier stage treatment options, an LVAD can help their weakened heart pump blood through the body and provide crucial support as patients await further treatment, including heart transplants. For patients who are not candidates for heart transplants or who will live with their device long term, Abbott continues to offer HeartMate II, the world's most widely used LVAD, which is indicated for long-term or "destination therapy."

As the pioneer and global leader in LVAD therapy, Abbott designed the HeartMate 3 system to take LVAD therapy further and provide physicians new benefits for their patients. In developing the HeartMate 3 system, Abbott reduced the system's size while reimagining how blood passes through an LVAD. The HeartMate 3 system deploys Full MagLev technology to reduce trauma to the blood passing through the pump while optimizing blood flow. Improved blood flow can help minimize complications – such as pump thrombosis – that can be associated with LVAD therapy, ultimately improving the patient's quality of life.

"Heart failure is a crippling and costly disease and the HeartMate 3 system is a big stride forward in giving patients the opportunity to return to better quality lives. Abbott is the pioneer and global leader in LVAD therapy and offers the broadest heart failure portfolio on the market to help physicians manage their patients from early to end-stage heart failure," said Mark D. Carlson M.D., divisional vice president and chief medical officer of Abbott's Cardiac Arrhythmias and Heart Failure business.