NZ heart booster begins US trials

Heart transplants could be a thing of the past after a Gisborne doctor invented a device that helps the heart pump blood more effectively.

William Peters calls the C-Pulse heart-assist system a "turbo-booster" for those who have severe problems with their ticker.

A 20-person clinical trial has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and the device has already been successfully implanted in two patients at Ohio State University Medical Centre.

Dr Peters, 43, a heart surgeon now based in Sydney, began designing the device about 10 years ago, tinkering with a prototype in his garage.

The C-Pulse has since evolved and been refined so it now improves circulation and increases blood to the heart.

It does not come into contact with blood, so it can be turned on and off.

"It's a true heart-assist device as opposed to a heart-replacement device," Dr Peters said.

The C-Pulse is a bio-stable polyester fabric that wraps around the 3-5cm-wide main aorta. A sensor is then attached to the heart to pick up its beats.

In between the fabric wrap and the aorta is a small polyurethane balloon that inflates and deflates, which helps to pump the blood. The balloon is attached to a gas line that comes through the skin and can be connected to a small external driver worn by the patient.

"They can wear it in a bag or a pocket, or bling it up," Dr Peters said.

The whole procedure had a low risk for patients, as opposed to more invasive surgery that often carried a high risk.

"It's a one- to two-hour procedure, it doesn't require the heart-lung machine, there's no holes made in the heart, there's no blood contact and it's very straightforward to implant. So from those aspects it's very low risk," Dr Peters said.

One of the only risks was infection, which was a danger with all implants, he said.

The clinical trial was beginning at six medical institutions across the United States.

If the trial went well, Dr Peters said, the C-Pulse could be available in New Zealand by the end of 2010 or the start of 2011.

- NZPA