CardioKinetix Inc., a medical device company pioneering a catheter-based treatment for heart failure, today announced a new first with two patients successfully treated this week with the new catheter-based Parachute ® Ventricular Partitioning Device in Beijing, China.
After a heart attack, many patients experience enlargement of their left ventricle causing a decrease in cardiac output resulting in heart failure symptoms such as shortness of breath. Treatment options for patients whose ventricle has enlarged are limited. The Parachute device offers the first minimally invasive catheter-based treatment to partition the damaged muscle, excluding the non-functional heart segment from the healthy, functional segment to decrease the overall volume of the left ventricle and restore its geometry and function.
“We are very proud that the first Parachute procedure in China was performed here in Beijing. China is currently experiencing a rapid increase in cardiovascular disease leading to a significant unmet need for better treatment options for patients with heart failure,” said Huo Yong, M.D., Director Heart Center and Department of Cardiology PKU-1 st Hospital and President Chinese Society of Cardiology in Beijing, China.
“These initial cases in China mark another key milestone in CardioKinetix’s journey to bring Parachute to heart failure patients around the world,” said Maria Sainz, President and CEO of CardioKinetix Inc. “China represents a key strategic opportunity for the company as we further our international expansion.” The introduction of the Parachute into the Chinese market will add significant experience to the program where the device already has CE Mark in Europe and is currently enrolling in the U.S. pivotal trial, PARACHUTE IV.
About Heart Failure Heart failure is a common, debilitating, and potentially deadly condition in which the heart is unable to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Symptoms of heart failure negatively impact quality of life and include shortness of breath, persistent coughing or wheezing, buildup of excess fluid in body tissues (edema), fatigue, lack of appetite or nausea, impaired thinking, and increased heart rate. More than 20 million people around the world are affected, with approximately six million in the United States, where it is responsible for 1.1 million hospitalizations annually. [i] About the Parachute ® Ventricular Partitioning Device The novel Parachute Ventricular Partitioning Device is a minimally invasive treatment for patients with heart failure caused by damage to the heart muscle following a heart attack. Clinical data demonstrates improved overall cardiac function and quality of life for patients treated with the Parachute device.
Through a small catheter inserted in the femoral artery, the Parachute implant is deployed in the left ventricle to partition the damaged muscle, excluding the non-functional heart segment from the healthy, functional segment to decrease the overall volume of the left ventricle and restore its geometry and function. This minimally invasive procedure is performed in the catheterization laboratory under conscious sedation.
The Parachute Ventricular Partitioning Device first received CE Mark in 2011. In the U.S., the Parachute system is an investigational device limited by federal law to investigational use only and is not available for sale.
