The study will assess if patients with heart failure less advanced than that of LVAD recipients and who are not eligible for a heart transplant will do better with LVAD implantation, when compared to current medical therapy.
The device used in the study will be HeartWare’s LVAD, a battery-operated continuous blood flow pump which is designed to be implanted surgically within the heart.
The universities have received $13.3m funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and HeartWare for the study.
The study will enroll 100 patients across the US, including the U-M and Pittsburgh.
LVADs are currently used in patients with very advanced heart failure, as a last resort to help them survive the wait for a heart transplant or as a permanent alternative to heart transplant.
