TRANSCATHETER COMPLETE HEART ASSIST DEVICE
A realistic pulsed cardiac flow rate
Heart pump device market opportunity
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the first cause of mortality globally (31% of all death)
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a disease reducing the pumping power of the heart
- 5.7 million patients with CHF in US with 550,000 new cases each year and mortality up to 50% within 5 years
- Severe CHF require transplants but the number of donors is low, leading to long waiting period
- Lifesaving option is the use of engineered heart assist devices for mechanical circulatory support
- Heart pump device market expected to grow from $1.6B in 2017 to $4B in 2022 (CAGR=19.4%), driven by rising CVD prevalence and low donor numbers
- Limitations with current devices: most are for left ventricle only (54% of market share), invasive surgery procedure, non-realistic pulsed cardiac flow rate, hemolysis problem
An innovative heart pump
- Researchers from Concordia University have developed a complete heart assist device that can be implanted using a transcatheter approach
- The invention consists of a stent-membrane assembly that can be activated in order to reproduce a pulsatile flow in heart cavities, including both systolic and diastolic phases
- The cyclic deformation of the membrane can be adjusted for heart rate and stroke volume depending on patient needs
- A first prototype of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was designed and successfully tested in a heart simulator
- A bi-ventricular assist device (Bi-VAD) prototype is also in development for severe CHF

Multiple competitive advantages
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Support for left, right or both ventricles
- Adjustable pulsatile flow
- Possibility to change the membrane using a stent-in-stent approach in case of failure
- Original design minimizing hemolysis
- Scalable design for young or elderly patient
- For patients with severe CHF as a bridge to transplantation or a destination therapy
LICENSING OPPORTUNITY
→ US Provisional patent
→ Partnering/ Licensing opportunity to complete the development of the technology
CONTACT
If you are interested by this technology, please contact :
Sébastien Chaffre, Director Business Development, Life Sciences
schaffre@aligo.ca, (438) 728-7580
UNIVERSITY
Concordia University
Main inventors

Dr. Lyes Kadem, Full professor, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Lyes Kadem is a full Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering at Concordia University in Montréal (Québec, Canada). He graduated with a Bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from USTHB (Algeria), a MASc in biomechanics from Aix-Marseille II (France) and a Ph.D in biomechanics from Aix-Marseille II (France) along with a Ph.D in experimental medicine from Laval University (Québec, Canada). He runs the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics and he is currently holding a Concordia University Research Chair in cardiovascular engineering and medical devices.