The Modern DeBakey VAD™ To Be Introduced For the First Time in the U.S. : HeartAssist 5™ Pediatric VAD Features Industry Exclusive Direct Blood Flow Measureme...( The HeartAss...)

The HeartAssist 5™ Pediatric VAD will be introduced for the first time in the U.S. at the 16th annual meeting of the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps (ISRBP) in Houston on Oct. 2-4.

HOUSTON (Business Wire EON) September 30, 2008 -- The Modern DeBakey VAD™ is the only pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) that benefited from years of hands-on leadership and support by Dr. Michael DeBakey. It is the only VAD to feature the DeBakey name and the only FDA-approved pediatric VAD in the world.

Originally created through a collaboration between Dr. DeBakey, colleague Dr. George Noon, NASA and the Baylor College of Medicine, it is one of the smallest VADs in the world. It can support the failing left ventricle of the heart with blood flow of 1-10 L/min.

The U.S. introduction of the HeartAssist 5™ Pediatric VAD, The Modern DeBakey VAD™, occurs less than three months after the internationally renowned surgeon's death from natural causes. Dr. DeBakey passed away at age 99 on July 11. He would have celebrated his 100th birthday on September 7, 2008.

Rodger G. Ford, who led the buyout of then public MicroMed Cardiovascular, Inc. and took the company private on August 25, 2008, described his meetings with Dr. DeBakey as "…a humbling experience. I left our meetings exuberant at Dr. DeBakey's interest and support."

The HeartAssist 5™ Pediatric VAD is the only VAD with the exclusive direct flow measurement system, which provides measurement of blood flow through the VAD. Since pediatric VADs are designed to support failing hearts in children, precise blood flow measurement can prove vital for patients in critical condition. At best, other devices only approximate blood flow, which can be unreliable, or provide no blood flow data at all.

The HeartAssist 5™ Pediatric VAD pump weighs only
'/>"/>