The world’s smallest heart pump, which was developed by an Israeli startup, is now being used in the treatment of two heart patients in New York as part of an FDA-approved study.
The study is the first step to securing approval for the use of Magenta Medical’s Elevate heart pump in the US. It will evaluate the device’s safety and feasibility in providing temporary support during procedures used to open clogged arteries in the heart.
The Elevate pump can support the heart’s activity, and even temporarily replace the organ for several days by opening clogged arteries of cardiac patients, and reducing symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath.
The pump is folded and inserted through a catheter via the groin. Once it has been guided to the heart’s left ventricle (which is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood all over the body), and the catheter has been removed, it expands by up to three and a half times.
Inside the heart, the speed of the pump can be adjusted to provide more than five liters of blood a minute – the full cardiac output of an adult at rest. The company says the pump is more powerful than others, with peak flows exceeding seven liters per minute.
Existing temporary devices provide a more limited flow of oxygenated blood to the body’s tissues or require an invasive surgical procedure – or both.
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Magenta Medical is a biotechnology company developing miniaturized catheter-mounted axial-flow pumps for heart failure indications. Magenta Medical COO Gilead Moiseyev is a Technion alumnus.
