Innovation in the medical technology business leads to new methods, new therapies and – at its best - new possibilities to save lives. Today we want to present a case report of a life saved by such an innovation. The EXCOR® Revive system with its newly developed EXCOR® Venous cannula makes it possible to offer patients with a failing Fontan circuit a standardized implantation of our EXCOR® ventricular assistant device (VAD).
Patients born with an univentricular heart have the chance to survive decades thanks to the Fontan procedure. However, as a palliative surgical procedure, the established Fontan circuit is prone to fail in the long run, leading to numerous complications such as chronic liver congestion and other end-organ dysfunctions. A successful heart transplantation, often the only definite option for the patients, is less promising under such circumstances, as is staying on the transplant list. In the presented case, the patient was disqualified for heart transplantation due to his clinical deterioration, leading to the decision to implant a Berlin Heart EXCOR® VAD.
The report reflects on the first successful implantation of the EXCOR® Venous Cannula, which was developed as a specific “Fontan” cannula, leading to the stabilization of the patient and eventually his heart transplantation.
"The concept has been shown to be successful in reducing symptoms of venous and lymphatic congestion; however, until now, it was a very complicated procedure. Using the novel ‘Fontan cannula’, this operation is simplified by reducing the number of necessary anastomoses to only 3"