Elastic Mesh Device That Cradles Heart May Impede Cardiomyopathy

Cardiac specialists at the Medical Center are studying an investigational device that wraps around the enlarged hearts of heart failure patients in an effort to possibly prevent them from enlarging further.

The first HeartNet Ventricular Support System case was performed in late July as part of the PEERLESS-HF (Prospective Evaluation of Elastic Restraint to LESSen the effects of Heart Failure) study. The Medical Center is the only hospital in upstate New York participating in this clinical trial, and supports the efforts to achieve the goals outlined in the Cardiovascular IDP plan to become the leading cardiovascular care provider in the Rochester region.

The trial is evaluating the HeartNet implant, a rubber mesh band that is placed around the patient’s heart, delivered in a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can typically be completed in less than 90 minutes. The elastic device provides continuous support to the ventricles in an attempt to stop or control further enlargement of the heart and alleviate the symptoms of advanced heart failure.

“For patients living with heart failure and its debilitating effects, the potential for improved quality of life offers hope,” said Leway Chen, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Program in Heart Failure and Transplantation. “We are studying this therapy to see if it is possible that treatment with the HeartNet will improve signs and symptoms of the condition.”

Chen and transplant surgeon H. Todd Massey, M.D., surgical director of the Program in Heart Failure and Transplantation and director of the Artificial Heart Program, are leading the study.

Click here to read more on the clinical trial, and view footage of surgery.