FDA Approves Mechanical Cardiac Assist Device For Children With Heart Failure
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a medical device that supports the weakened heart of children with heart failure to help keep them alive until a donor for a heart transplant can be found. The mechanical pulsatile cardiac assist device is called the EXCOR Pediatric System, made by a German company, Berlin Heart. The device comes in graduated sizes to fit children from newborns to teens. "This is a step forward, it is the first FDA-approved pulsatile mechanical circulatory support device specifically designed for children, " said Susan Cummins, M.
UCSD Center For Transplantation VAD Therapy Approved
The Joint Commission (TJC) has approved UC San Diego Health System's Disease-Specific Care (DSC) Certification for Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Hospitals performing VAD as a "destination therapy" (for permanent use) receive a certification of distinction and receive reimbursement from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). "The surveyors were extremely impressed with the level of integration and communication among all departments and at all levels as they interacted with staff at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and Thornton Hospital, " said Alexander Aussi, BSN, RN, MBA, director, UCSD Center for Transplantation.
America's Heart Health Needs Improvement
America's heart and blood vessel health is far from ideal, according to data in the American Heart Association's "Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update 2012, " published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The update provides insight into our less than ideal cardiovascular health. For example, obesity continues to be a major problem for many Americans. More than 67 percent of U.S. adults and 31.7 percent of children are overweight or obese. Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of obesity in children has increased from 4 percent to more than 20 percent.