Successful air transport of the first Japanese baby with artificial heart to the USA

Berlin, 07.03.2013: For the first time in the history of Japan the physicians Professor Murakami and Professor Ono of the University of Tokyo were able to save the life of an infant with severe heart failure with the help of a Berlin Heart EXCOR® Pediatric ventricular assist device in August 2012. The 21-month-old patient had fallen ill from a dilated cardiomyopathy and was successfully treated for almost six months at the University of Tokyo with the VAD from the Berlin company.

Without the mechanical support device the little patient would most probably not have survived the long wait for a possible transplant in Japan, or for transport to another county for treatment. Aided by the EXCOR® Pediatric System the child could be stabilized and eventually flown to the USA for further management.

The patient transport occurred on January 22nd in a special medical aircraft operated by Phoenix Air Group, Inc in Cartersville, Georgia. The flight was financed by donations and accompanied by a medical team from the University of Tokyo as well as specialists from Berlin Heart. The flight time was 17 hours – with stopovers in Anchorage and Cold Bay, Alaska. The small patient tolerated the flight well and there were no complications with the device or the patient during the trip. The patient has now been thriving in the New York Columbia Presbyterian Children’s hospital for the past 5 weeks while she receives additional treatment.

The EXCOR® Pediatric ventricular assist device system from the Berlin company Berlin Heart has been successfully employed in more than 1,200 children world-wide since its first use in 1990. It is the only system at present which can support all patients from newborns up to adolescents and adults such that they can survive until their heart transplantation. The EXCOR® System is used in 147 centers in 35 countries. In Europe 57.5% of patients must wait longer than a year for a new heart. Occasionally the heart can recover sufficiently due to the mechanical support so that the support system can be explanted and the patients can continue living with their own hearts.

About EXCOR®
The EXCOR® ventricular assist device is employed as mechanical heart support for patients who suffer from terminal stage heart failure. To date EXCOR® has been used in more than 3,000 patients worldwide, from newborns with a body weight of 2.2 kg up to adults.

About Berlin Heart
Berlin Heart GmbH is the only company worldwide which develops, manufactures and distributes both implantable ventricular assist devices and systems lying external to the body for patients with heart disease of all ages and body sizes. The systems INCOR®, EXCOR® Adult and EXCOR® Pediatric support short- to long-term pumping function of the heart and thus present a life-saving therapy possibility for the patient. Furthermore the user can access clinical and technical support around the clock. Berlin Heart is the market leader in Germany and Europe.

Contact:
Berlin Heart GmbH
Katharina Schubert
Marketing & PR
Wiesenweg 10
12247 Berlin
schubert@berlinheart.de

This release was published on openPR.