Carlos del Rio, Ph.D., a researcher at QTest Laboratories, presented his study results at ACC.15, the 64th annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session that took place March 14-16 in San Diego, California. In his study, del Rio used Aortix,™ a catheter-deployed vascular aid pump designed to treat chronic heart failure that is being developed by Procyrion, Inc. Qtest Laboratories is a Columbus, Ohio-based company that conducts comprehensive research in the cardiovascular field and develops solutions for biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms.
In his poster presentation, Dr. del Rio highlighted his investigation on the superior ventriculo-arterial coupling that Aortix™ offers. The session titled: “Stage D and Beyond: Advanced Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Transplantation” took place last Saturday, the 14th of March from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
“This research, performed by QTest labs in sheep with ischemic chronic heart failure, demonstrates that Aortix™ reduces the workload of the heart, decreasing oxygen demand, which may help the heart rest and heal while dramatically improving kidney function. These results exceeded our expectations and is further evidence that Aortix could be used to support the failing heart before years of progressive damage occur,” said Procyrion Director of Research and Development, Will Clifton, MD in a recent news release.
The Aortix™ is a thin device administered by a catheter inserted into the femoral artery. The device is positioned with innovative self-expanding anchors that, together with its exclusive, thin design allows the pump to be positioned in an outpatient procedure that only takes ten minutes. Aortix™ was envisioned by Dr. Reynolds M. Delgado III, the Medical Director of Mechanical Support at the Texas Heart Institute and is anticipated to treat millions of patients with chronic heart failure for which drugs alone are not an option.
A total of 46 abstracts related to cardiovascular disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment were presented during ACC.15.
In addition, Procyrion was recently named as a HATCH pitch qualifier, and competed for the highest award at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 16. Procyrion has also been chosen to showcase the Aortix at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation’s 35th Annual Meeting that will take place in Nice, France between the 15th and 18th of April, 2015.
