Healthcare Industry News: SynCardia Systems
News Release - July 23, 2009
Dr. Marvin Slepian Joins MicroMed Cardiovascular as Chairman of the Science Advisory Board
New SAB to Advance the Work Started by NASA and Dr. Michael DeBakeyHOUSTON--(HSMN NewsFeed)--On July 23, MicroMed Cardiovascular (http://www.micromedcv.com) announced the creation of its Science Advisory Board (SAB), led by new Chairman Marvin Slepian, MD, to provide scientific support and guidance related to its HeartAssist 5(TM) ventricular assist device, The Modern DeBakey VAD(TM).
“I am honored to continue the work of renowned heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey and the engineering experts at NASA,” said Dr. Slepian. “The European HeartAssist 5 has tremendous advances compared to pulsatile devices, including smaller size, less invasive surgery and greater patient comfort.”
The HeartAssist 5 pump weighs only 92 grams and measures just 2.8 x 1.2 inches. Because of its miniature size, it is one of the few LVADs that can be implanted above the diaphragm, adjacent to the heart. The HeartAssist 5 is the only LVAD with a precise, direct flow measurement system. Unlike other devices, blood flow for the European HeartAssist 5 is a precise measurement and does not rely on estimates by software or the clinician.
“Dr. Slepian helped commercialize the world’s first and only approved Total Artificial Heart. He is an industry expert in polymeric biomaterials, holding more than 25 issued patents with another 41 filed,” said Bill Birdsall, MicroMed CEO. “We are pleased that he has agreed to join world-renowned transplant surgeon George Noon MD, co-inventor of the HeartAssist 5 and Matthias Loebe, MD, PhD and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine on our SAB. I know Dr. Slepian will be attracting several more world-leading physicians and scientific experts to MicroMed’s SAB in the coming weeks. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the growth and outreach of MicroMed.”
Dr. Slepian is Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), Director of Interventional Cardiology and Director of the Tissue Engineering Lab at the University of Arizona. He is also the co-founder, Chief Medical & Scientific Officer and Chairman of the Board for SynCardia Systems, Inc. (http://www.syncardia.com), manufacturer of the world’s only approved Total Artificial Heart, the SynCardia temporary CardioWest(TM) Total Artificial Heart.
For more information, please visit http://www.micromedcv.com
In Europe, the HeartAssist 5(TM), the Modern DeBakey VAD(TM), has CE Marks for both adult and pediatric use. In the U.S., the HeartAssist 5, formerly DeBakey VAD® Child, is the only FDA-approved pediatric VAD. A bridge-to-transplant IDE clinical study is currently underway in the U.S. for adults.
Source: MicroMed Cardiovascular
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