Reported in The Forefront, 3/28/2019
For patients with advanced-stage heart failure, the new HeartMate 3 centrifugal-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) proved superior to the axial-flow HeartMate II, which was previously considered the gold standard in LVAD therapy. Both pumps are made by Abbott.
The MOMENTUM 3 trial, presented as a late-breaking session at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirmed certain benefits of HeartMate 3.
“HeartMate 3 has significantly improved the performance of LVAD therapy,” said cardiologist Nir Uriel, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and a co-author of the study. “This trial demonstrated that the new pump produced better outcomes than its predecessor.”
“MOMENTUM 3 is an important step forward for patients living with advanced heart failure,” Uriel added. “The study results will allow for wider use of the technology thanks to a significantly improved adverse event profile.”