In June 2014 for the 1,500th time, the EXCOR® Pediatric device was implanted to save the life of a child: a 14-year-old boy from Hong Kong who was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy since the age of four was fitted with the life-saving device. Up to that point the teenager had been treated conservatively and was doing well. However his condition deteriorated at the beginning of the year so that in early June he was admitted to the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong.
The LVAD implantation, to support the patient´s left ventricle, was performed by Dr. Timmy Wing-Kuk Au on the 20th of June 2014. Without the device, the boy would not been able to wait for one of the scarce donor hearts. The recovery after the complex surgery went very well and the patient was able to do small exercises and walk around within the hospital grounds. In January, the boy´s biggest dream became true: a matching donor heart was found! The heart transplantation was performed by Dr. Au as well and the patient is now about to go home. Several patients were already treated with EXCOR® Pediatric by Dr. Au at the hospital in Hong Kong.
“We value the EXCOR® systems as it is efficient, very user friendly and it helps us to save our patients” summarizes Dr. Au the experience with the device.
This so-called artificial heart enables seriously ill children with heart defects to bridge the time until a suitable donor heart is found. It is the only system worldwide that is designed especially for the physiological needs of children.
This system was invented in Berlin and is used in children of all ages all over the world. The youngest patient that was successfully supported with this device was just twelve days old.
„We are very happy to see that the 1500th patient could be successfully bridged to transplantation with our device. Our goal is to save critically ill patients worldwide with our devices” says Dr. Ares K. Menon, General Manager of the Berlin Heart GmbH.
About Berlin Heart
Berlin Heart GmbH develops, manufactures, and markets innovative ventricular assist devices (VADs) for mechanical circulatory support. With the EXCOR® Adult and the EXCOR® Pediatric, Berlin Heart is the only company in the world able to provide support to patients of every age and size, from infants to adults.
Berlin Heart’s systems provide left ventricular, right ventricular, or biventricular support (both sides); hospitals around the world use the system for short-, medium-, and long-term circulatory support, providing patients with a life-saving treatment option.
Users can also access round-the-clock medical and technical support.
The access to some or all shown products may be restricted by country-specific regulatory approvals. The use of EXCOR® VAD for adults, RVAD-support, Excor mobil and EXCOR® Active is not FDA-approved.