Abiomed, Inc. announced the successful implantation of its AbioCor Total Replacement Heart at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The procedure was performed by Mark Anderson, M.D., associate professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and chief of the section of cardiac surgery at both the medical school and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. This represents the first AbioCor implant since the completion of clinical trials and HDE approval from the FDA on September 5, 2006,
The AbioCor Total Replacement Heart was implanted in a 76-year-old male patient. He was diagnosed with congestive, end-stage heart failure and did not qualify for a heart transplant or other available therapies. The patient showed signs of a strong and stable recovery more than one week after the surgery.
We are honored to be among the few distinguished institutions in the nation to offer this innovative technology to patients who have no other treatment alternatives available to them, said Dr. Anderson. The implantation marks the culmination of nearly three decades of research and development and the technology has finally reached the point where an artificial heart has become a real option for end-stage heart failure patients. We believe this procedure is a significant step toward offering new hope and a future to patients who may still have more quality time with their family and loved ones.
The AbioCor is designed to give end stage heart failure patients another treatment option to extend their quality of life when they are ineligible for all other medical therapies, said Michael R. Minogue, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Abiomed. We are thrilled to be working with the renowned Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.