HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Mehmet C. Oz Wolfgang F. Konertz Friedrich W. Mohr Jan F. Gummert Jorg Ostermeyer Michael Lass Jai Raman Michael A. Acker Nicholas Smedira Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Oz, M. C. Articles by Smedira, N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Oz, M. C. Articles by Smedira, N. Related Collections Mechanical Circulatory Assistance

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003;126:983-991
© 2003 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Surgery for acquired cardiovascular disease

Global surgical experience with the Acorn cardiac support device

^a Cardiovascular Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
^b Universität Berlin Klinik für Kardiovasculare Chirurgie Charité Universitätsklinikum, Berlin, Germany
^c Klinik für Innere Medizin, Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany
^d Klinik für Herzchirurgie, Herzzentrum Leipzig GmbH, Leipzig, Germany
^e Herzchirurgische Abteilung, Allgemeines Krankenhaus St Georg, Hamburg, Germany
^f Austin Repatriation Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Australia
^g Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa, USA
^h The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Received for publication May 13, 2002; revisions received October 21, 2002; accepted for publication October 23, 2002.

^* Address for reprints: Mehmet C. Oz, MD, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 117 Ft Washington Ave, New York, NY 10032, USA
mco2{at}columbia.edu

OBJECTIVE: Surgical intervention is an option for treating the remodeled and dilated left ventricles of patients with heart failure. Providing end-diastolic support with an innovative mesh-like cardiac support device reduces mechanical stress, improves function, and reverses cardiac remodeling in animal models without safety issues. The objective of this study was to review the global clinical safety and feasibility experience of this device.

METHODS: The Acorn CorCap cardiac support device (Acorn Cardiovascular, Inc, St Paul, Minn) has been implanted worldwide in more than 130 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with or without concomitant cardiac surgery. The device is positioned around the ventricles and given a custom fit. A series of 48 patients were implanted with the device in initial safety and feasibility studies, of whom 33 also received concomitant cardiac surgery.

RESULTS: At implantation, 11 patients were in New York Heart Association class II, 33 were in class III, and 4 were in class IV. The average CorCap implantation time was 27 minutes. The mean intraoperative reduction in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension was 4.6% ± 1%. There were no device-related intraoperative complications. Eight early and 9 late deaths occurred during follow-up extending to 24 months. Actuarial survival was 73% at 12 months and 68% at 24 months. There were no device-related adverse events or evidence of constrictive disease, and coronary artery flow reserve was maintained. Ventricular chamber dimensions decreased, whereas ejection fraction and New York Heart Association class were improved in patients overall and in those patients implanted with the CorCap device without concomitant operations.

CONCLUSIONS: The CorCap device appears safe for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Randomized clinical trials are underway in Europe, Australia, and North America.