A) Chest X-ray depicting implantable components. B) Implantable components illustration. C) External components illustration. Source: Yuryi Pya et al.

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) are surgically implanted annually into thousands of patients with severe heart failure in lieu of heart transplants. VADs need to continuously be connected to a power source that requires patients to have a wire coming out of their bodies. This can reduce a patient's quality of life and in over 20% of cases cause infections that can lead to hospitalization and severe complications.

A new system designed for wireless control and powering of VADs eliminates the use of an external driveline wire. The coplanar energy transfer (CET) system developed by LeviticusCardio Ltd. of Israel replaces the original artificial heart controller, battery and monitor in the fully implanted VAD (FIVAD). An internal integrated controller and battery are coupled to an internal coil ring designed for energy harvesting. The system includes an external power transmission belt linked to an external controller, battery and a wrist watch monitor.

The FIVAD has been successfully implanted along with a Jarvik 2000 pump in two patients. The CET system was demonstrated to minimize infection risk as a result of driveline elimination and to allow for 8.5 hours of support without the external power transmission belt.

Scientists from National Research Cardiac Surgery Center (Kazakhstan), Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Czech Republic), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (U.K.), University Hospitals Leuven (Belgium), Sheba Medical Center (Israel), Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rome (Italy) and LeviticusCardio Ltd. (Israel) contributed to this research, which is published in The Journal for Heart and Lung Transplantation.