Penn Cardiac Care Brings Hope to Patients
Suffering from Heart Failure
In the United States, heart disease affects over 5 million
people. Heart failure remains the #1 killer, with more
than 500,000 deaths annually. Because of the ever-increasing
demand for heart transplants, efforts are being turned
toward mechanical devices that support some or all of
the heart and its functions.
Symptoms of congestive heart failure include extreme
shortness of breath (at rest or with simple activity),
difficulty sleeping in a flat position, fatigue, and
swelling of the ankles or abdomen. Because the heart
does not pump or squeeze effectively for patients with
heart failure, they may benefit from pumps, mechanical
assist devices or mechanical hearts, which take over
this function.
"It is astonishing how much these devices improve
the patients' quality of life. In many cases, they can
exercise, ride a bike, hike, play basketball, and even
return to work," comments Mariell
L. Jessup, MD, director of the Heart Failure and
Transplantation Program at the University of Pennsylvania
Medical Center.
"Over the next year, our team plans to utilize
similar devices that enable poor-functioning hearts
to improve and possibly avoid a transplant," says
Michael
A. Acker, MD, surgical director of the Heart Transplant
and Mechanical Assist Device Program at the University
of Pennsylvania Medical Center. These advances are particularly
promising for those over age 65, who are at higher risk
for congestive heart failure.
"This is a very exciting time in cardiac surgery.
I see this technology developing in the next five years
to where there will be mechanical replacements for one
or both ventricles. Initially, they will be used as
a permanent device for patients who are not heart transplant
candidates, but it is very likely that these devices
will compete with transplant itself," says Dr.
Acker. "We aren't there yet, but we're working
on it."
|
