Professor Mariusz Kuśmierczyk and a team of cardiac surgeons performed the first implantation of an artificial ventricle at the Medical University of Warsaw. It is an ultramodern device of the new generation Heartmate 3.
UCK WUM
A new generation artificial ventricle was implanted
Published Sept. 22, 2022 11:29
Fot: UCK WUM
Until recently, devices of this type were implanted only in patients waiting for a heart transplant. It turned out, however, that the devices provide patients with such a comfort of life that they sometimes give up transplantation. Currently, this solution is often used as a target solution for the rest of the patient's life. The implantation of the pump is also possible in people who, due to their age, are not eligible for transplantation.
The artificial chamber is able to administer from 2.5 to 10 liters of blood per minute, which means that the patient is not only able to function normally, but even to play sports. The pump is connected to an external power supply and monitoring device for the entire system, which not only identifies alarm conditions, but also keeps a continuous record of work, which is invaluable in diagnostics. The patient wears the external device in a special case that fits under a sweater or jacket. The pump itself is a levitating, fast-rotating, self-centering impeller that is not mounted on a mechanical bearing, but floats in a housing on a magnet system. The magnets hold the rotor in the desired position and drive it. The device can work in the constant speed mode - up to 4000 revolutions per minute or in the artificial pulse mode, in which the speed of the rotor rotation and the amount of blood administered are changed automatically.
This is the first implantation of such a device at the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw. In Poland, 40-50 devices of this type are implanted annually, mainly of the older generation. The needs are estimated at 200 implants per year.
Professor Mariusz Kuśmierczyk became the head of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic of UCK, Medical University of Warsaw in September 2021 as part of the strategy of creating a strong transplantation center developed by Rector Zbigniew Gaciong and the current authorities of the Medical University of Warsaw. In August, the first heart transplantation at the Medical University of Warsaw was performed.
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