Dr. Griffith is a pioneer in the evaluation and development of a variety of mechanical support devices for the heart. He is Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery and Director of Heart and Lung Transplantation in the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center and is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Prior to his arrival at the University of Maryland, Dr. Griffith served as Vice Chair, Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he was also Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Henry T. Bahnson Professor of Surgery.

Congestive Heart Failure affects about five million people in the USA, or two percent of the population. According to the American Heart Association, nearly five million Americans have heart failure; about 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and there are around 45,000 deaths from CHF.

The VentrAssist is a third generation pump which uses centrifugal force to provide blood flow. The VentrAssist was primarily designed as a permanent alternative to heart transplant but for this U.S. study is being tested only as a bridge to transplant, so it is offered to patients who are listed for a heart transplant.

Ventracor is a global medical device company that has developed a blood pump, the VentrAssistTM left ventricular assist system (LVAS) for patients in cardiac failure. The company hopes to bring the VentrAssistTM to the global market in record time, and expects to obtain a significant share of the huge potential market.

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Contact: Andrew Geddes
info@ventracor.com
61-2-9406-3086
Research Australia
23-Aug-2005