Robert L. Kormos, MD, McGowan affiliated faculty and the Division Vice President Global Medical Affairs Heart Failure at Abbott Laboratories in Austin, Texas, is part of an announcement from Abbott about two new clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Abbott’s CentriMag Blood Pump can now be used to provide longer-term life support for critically ill patients, and its CentriMag Pre-connected Pack has received FDA clearance for life support lasting less than six hours. Both devices provide physicians with more time to make critical care decisions.
The pump temporarily replaces the function of the heart and has been used to treat patients with COVID-19 as well as those who have had heart surgery and others for whom extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is critical to saving their life.
The preconnected pack provides urgent cardiopulmonary support by combining system components including the oxygenator and the blood pump. Previously, physicians needed to put the system together from separate components.
Dr. Kormos stated, “With CentriMag, our mission has always been to transform the treatment of advanced cardiac and respiratory conditions to improve clinicians’ ability to most effectively manage their sickest patients. With the two new FDA clearances, physicians can deploy support in fewer steps and are provided more time to get their patients the necessary treatment during a critical window.”