magAssist Gains Recognition for Its Innovation in the Cardiovascular Field at 2022 Critical Heart Disease Congress-International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support Parallel Forum

magAssist Co., Ltd ("magAssist"), a leading global developer of extracorporeal life support devices, attended the 2022 Critical Heart Disease Congress - International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support Parallel Forum, where the firm shared the latest research results and technologies for the treatment of critical heart diseases with fellow cardiovascular researchers and experts, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and development in the field.

The forum was jointly held by 2022 CHDC and ISMCS (International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support) between December 29 – 31, 2022. The mission of the ISMCS is "provide a broad international forum for intensive discussion of research, development, clinical use and social acceptance of rotary blood pumps and all related forms of mechanical circulatory support". Dr. Hsu Po-Lin, the founder of magAssist and the Chinese board member of ISMCS, co-chaired the session with Dr. Antonio Loforte, President-elect ISMCS and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program Chair from S. Orsola Bologna Cardiothorac & Transplant Surgery and alongside several other cardiovascular experts from around the world.

During the session, Dr. Hsu Chia-Hao, Director of Science and Innovation at magAssist, gave a presentation introducing BreathMoAssist™, the next generation of portable extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system developed by magAssist. There is currently a strong clinical demand for ECMO in China. However, there are very limited Chinese-made ECMO devices available for clinical use, creating a gap between the huge clinical demand and the availability of Chinese-made products.

Featuring an integrated and portable modular design, weighing overall less than 10 kg, BreathMoAssist™ is easy for doctors to transport the equipment to the patient in need, reducing waiting time and increasing the success rate of treatment. The pump head uses magAssist's full magnetic levitation bearing technology, which has better hemocompatibility than mechanical bearings and can effectively reduce the formation of blood clots when used with artificial membrane lungs.

"magAssist tends to develop portable and intelligent ECMO systems," said Chia-Hao. 'magAssist's technology blueprint focuses on an intelligent, interconnected, platform-based solution for the treatment of multi-organ failure. magAssist will keep achieving effective synergy for multi-organ support, enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce care costs through real-time state monitoring, resulting in the saving of more patients."

Prof. Dong Nianguo from Wuhan Union Hospital of China, then shared his clinical experience with the MoyoAssist extracorporeal ventricular assist system, which was jointly developed by Wuhan Union Hospital and magAssist. Wuhan Union Hospital of China is the first to connect the extracorporeal magnetically-levitated artificial heart through the jugular vein and the axillary artery in a minimally invasive approach to minimize patient harm. The procedure deploys a minimally invasive technique and enables upper-body cannulation without affecting the patient's lower limb movement. Patients on Extra-VAD can eat on their own and get out of bed, actions which help them recover and more comfortably await heart transplantation.

Up to Dec 28th 2022, MoyoAssist® Extra-VAD has been in clinical trials at 12 centers across China, with 37 patients enrolled for between 3 and 14 days. It has enabled left ventricular, right ventricular and biventricular assistance for different patients, and helps them transition to heart transplantation or other treatment. More than half of the patients at Wuhan Union Hospital were connected with MoyoAssist® Extra-VAD using minimally invasive procedures. The overall patient survival rate was 94.5%, which is satisfactory.

To conclude the forum, Loforte mentioned that the congress brings together people from different professions, such as physicians, engineers and technicians, and emphasized the importance of these professionals working together to provide the best possible outcome for patients. In the aftermath of the forum and looking ahead to 2023, magAssist will continue to innovate in the cardiovascular field, and embody the mission of ISMCS: to save lives and improve the quality of life for patients around the world.

Note: The forum invited several senior researchers and corporate executives from abroad who spoke about a range of issues in the cardiovascular field, including Dr. Daniel Timms, CEO of BiVACOR Inc., Dr. Ina Laura Perkins, CEO of Scandinavian Real Heart AB, Dr. Shaun Gregory, Associate Professor at Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Thomas Schlöglhoferh, Biomedical Engineer of Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Prof. Ashraf William Khir, Professor of Cardiovascular Mechanics at Durham University, and Dr. Xinli Du's team from the Brunel Institute for Bio-engineering.

Please refer to the congress link for session replays: https://www.drvoice.cn/v2/course/2930

ISMCS Official Website: https://www.ismcs.org/