RecruitingNot applicable

BiVACOR® Total Artificial Heart Early Feasibility Study

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study tests the safety and how well the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart works. It is for adults with severe heart failure who need a pump to stay alive while waiting for a heart transplant. Their heart failure affects both sides of the heart, or one side when a left-side heart pump is not recommended.

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of using the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) System to support adult patients with severe biventricular heart failure, or univentricular heart failure in which left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support is not recommended, who require mechanical circulatory support to sustain life. The BiVACOR TAH System is intended for use as a bridge to transplant (BTT). Feasibility will be assessed by evaluating safety and performance of the BiVACOR TAH System in study subjects.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Have severe heart failure that cannot be reversed and meets the study’s rules for heart pump support.
  • Meet heart failure levels called INTERMACS 2 or 3 and NYHA Class IV, which means symptoms can happen even at rest.
  • Have a left heart chamber that pumps out 25% or less of its blood per beat. This rule does not apply to certain types of stiff or squeezed hearts.
  • Need drugs that help the heart pump, or have very low blood flow if these drugs cannot be used.
  • Have tried the best available treatment for at least 45 of the last 60 days without enough benefit or cannot tolerate it; OR have had advanced heart failure for at least 14 days and needed a temporary heart pump for at least 7 days.
  • Be approved for a heart transplant by the hospital placing the pump.
  • Have enough room in the chest for the pump, based on scans or other checks.
  • Read and understand the consent form and freely agree to join.

Who can't join

  • Cannot take blood-thinning drugs; have a platelet count below 50,000; have too little chest space; have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher; or have high levels of antibodies that may react to a donor heart.
  • Are unconscious and unresponsive, or had a stroke within the past 3 months.
  • Have used ECMO, a machine that supports the heart and lungs, for more than 7 days; have used a temporary heart pump for more than 21 days unless able to walk and free of pump-related problems; or already have a long-term heart pump.
  • Have severe liver or kidney problems, need home oxygen for certain lung diseases, or have very high pressure in the lung blood vessels that meets the study’s cutoff.
  • Have severe light-chain amyloidosis, a disease caused by protein buildup; severe weight and muscle loss from heart disease; lasting frailty; or diabetes with advanced nerve damage and skin sores.
  • Had a bloodstream infection within 7 days of the study check, except a test result caused by sample contamination; are pregnant or planning pregnancy; or have an illness expected to limit life to less than 2 years.
  • Have a current drug or alcohol addiction or known substance abuse, lack enough support from others, or have a history of not following medical instructions.
  • Are in another clinical trial that could affect this study’s results.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Patient has severe, irreversible biventricular heart failure and is eligible for biventricular mechanical circulatory support based on the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) guidelines or has univentricular heart failure in which LVAD support is not recommended. ISHLT Guidelines for Biventricular Support: 1. Biventricular failure with at least two of the following hemodynamic and/or echocardiographic measurements. 1. Right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) ≤ 30% 2. Right ventricular stroke work index (RVSWI) ≤ 0.25 g/m/beat/m2 3. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) ≤ 14 mm 4. Right ventricular (RV) to left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter ratio \> 0.72 5. Central venous pressure (CVP) \> 15mmHg 6. CVP to pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) ratio \> 0.63 7. Tricuspid insufficiency grade 4 8. Pulmonary artery pressure index (PAPi) \< 2 2. Treatment-refractory recurrent and sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation in the presence of untreatable arrhythmogenic pathologic substrate. 3. Heart failure due to restrictive or constrictive physiology (e.g., hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis/senile or other infiltrative heart disease). * Patient is categorized as INTERMACS Patient Profile Classification 2 or 3. * Patient is classified as NYHA Class IV. * Patient has a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 25%, with the exception of patients with restrictive or constrictive physiology. * Patient is inotrope dependent, OR has a cardiac index (CI) ≤ 2.2 L/min/m2 without inotropes if inotropes are contraindicated (e.g., restrictive or constrictive heart failure), and meets one of the following criteria: 1. Is on optimal medical management (OMM), based on current heart failure practice guidelines for at least 45 out of the last 60 days and is failing to respond or is not able to tolerate OMM; or 2. Has advanced heart failure for at least 14 days and is dependent on an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) or similar temporary mechanical circulatory support device (MCSD) for at least seven days. * Patient is eligible for cardiac transplantation as determined by the implanting center. * Patient has adequate room in the chest as determined by 3-D imaging or other standard clinical assessments. * Patient has read and understands the informed consent form (ICF) and has voluntarily provided informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Patient has contraindications to anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapies. * Patient has coagulopathy defined by a platelet count \< 50 k/µl. * Patient has insufficient space in the chest to accommodate the BiVACOR pump. * Patient has a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m2. * Patient is highly pre-sensitized prior to pump implantation. * Patient is unconscious and unresponsive. * Patient is on pre-implant extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for \> 7 days. * Patient is on pre-implant temporary MCSD for more than 21 days \[e.g., Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), Impella, CentriMag, etc.\] unless ambulatory and free from adverse effects associated with the MCSD. * Patient is implanted with durable mechanical circulatory support (LVAD or RVAD). * Patient experienced cerebrovascular accident (CVA) within three months of eligibility evaluation. * Patient has severe end-organ dysfunction as evidenced by: 1. Total bilirubin \> 4.0 mg/dL or cirrhosis confirmed by imaging or positive biopsy, and/or 2. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \< 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 or renal replacement therapy dependence. * Patient has severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or restrictive lung disease requiring home oxygen. * Patient has primary pulmonary hypertension ≥ 8 Wood units. * Patient has severe systemic light-chain amyloidosis. * Patient has been diagnosed with severe cardiac cachexia or irreversible frailty. * Patient has diabetes with advanced diabetic neuropathy with accompanying skin ulceration. * Patient has a blood-borne infection within seven days of eligibility evaluation. Positive blood cultures reflective of contaminants (e.g., Staphylococcus epidermidis) will not be considered an exclusion. * Patient is pregnant or planning pregnancy. * Patient has a co-morbidity or illness that would limit survival to less than two years. * Patient has a current drug and/or alcohol addiction or known substance abuse. * Patient has insufficient social support or a history of non-compliance with medical instructions as determined by the Investigator. * Patient is participating in another clinical trial that may impact or confound the results of the BiVACOR TAH EFS.

Study sites (4)

AZ

NC

OH

TX