Carmat, designer and developer of artificial heart aimed at providing a therapeutic alternative for patients suffering from advanced biventricular heart failure, has announced the first implantation of the Aeson heart in a patient suffering from a cardiac tumor.
The patient implanted was suffering from a tumor invading the heart mass, responsible for rhythmic and restrictive cardiopathy, which eluded standard medical treatment. Only complete surgical removal of the heart could be considered as a hope of treatment. It is in this context that the Aeson total artificial heart was implanted for the first time in the world in this type of indication.
The implant was carried out at the Marie-Lannelongue Hospital in Plessis-Robinson (in the western suburbs of Paris) by the teams of professor Julien Guihaire, cardiac surgeon, and professor Elie Fadel, thoracic surgeon.
Prof. Julien Guihaire and Prof. Elie Fadel said: “We are delighted to have been able to provide a solution to this patient in a very difficult situation, for whom there was no other alternative than a total heart replacement with Aeson. This first-in-man implant performed in our hospital is a continuation of the commitment to the Carmat project by our teams since the beginning of 2010, including in particular the performance of numerous implant simulations in the Marie-Lannelongue Hospital research laboratory. Aeson offers real hope for patients with invasive cardiac tumors whose treatment options and survival are currently extremely limited.”
The implant was performed as part of the Carmat’s EFICAS study, which aims to gather additional data on the efficacy and safety of its Aeson artificial heart, as well as medico-economic data to support the value proposition of the prosthesis, and in particular the reimbursement of the device in France.
Eight French cardiology centers are now involved in the EFICAS study, which will include a total of 52 patients. To date, the enrollment of the first cohort of 10 patients has been finalized, and the study is on track for completion in 2025.
Stéphane Piat, Chief Executive officer of Carmat, concludes: “I would like to thank the teams at the Marie-Lannelongue Hospital, a long-standing partner, for giving new hope to a patient suffering from major comorbidities. We are delighted with this world first for Carmat, which demonstrates the ability of Aeson to address increasingly complex clinical cases.”
Carmat is a French MedTech that designs, manufactures and markets the Aeson artificial heart. The company’s ambition is to make Aeson the first alternative to a heart transplant, and thus provide a therapeutic solution to people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, who are facing a well-known shortfall in available human grafts. ‘
The Marie-Lannelongue Hospital is a private health establishment of collective interest specializing in the medical, surgical and minimally invasive treatment of cardiac, pulmonary and vascular pathologies.
