London (Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Terumo Heart, Inc.) ANN ARBOR, Michigan/PRNewswire/ -- Terumo Heart, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Terumo Corporation, announced that another patient implanted with the DuraHeart(TM) Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) has surpassed four years after receiving the mechanical circulatory support device. Helga Gieseke, 66, who lives in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is now one of the longest-living heart failure recipients of this device designed to aid the pumping action of the heart in order to circulate blood throughout her body.

Mrs. Gieseke received the DuraHeart LVAS as an investigational device in May of 2006 after suffering from heart failure for many years. She was treated by the Physicians at The Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB, German Heart Institute Berlin) as part of the DuraHeart LVAS clinical study that ultimately lead to CE Mark and commercialization in Europe.

"I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to continue doing many of the things I enjoy," said Mrs. Gieseke. "I am thankful to all of the people involved in my care; it gives me the opportunity to spend more time with my family and see my grandchildren grow up. I've grown accustomed to having the device with me as it truly has become an important part of who I am; a patient living with chronic heart disease."
Mrs. Gieseke has had a long history of heart problems; her first heart surgery was performed in 1994. Since then, Mrs. Gieseke had undergone several procedures including implantation of stents, pacemakers and implantable defibrillators in an attempt to manage her condition. Despite all these treatments, Mrs. Gieseke's condition continued to deteriorate until she found herself unable to walk or carry out simple activities around the house without getting chest pain. It was after admission to the local hospital in April of 2006 that Mrs. Gieseke was told by her cardiologist, also a school friend, that she required additional treatment. It was then that she was referred to The Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB, German Heart Institute Berlin).

"When Mrs. Gieseke was admitted in our Institution, she was in an advanced stage of chronic heart failure. Only an immediate heart transplant would have solved the problem, but a suitable donor heart was not available," said Professor Roland Hetzer, Director of The Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB, German Heart Institute Berlin) stated. "Instead, we explained that she would need a mechanical heart assist device and proposed that she participate in the DuraHeart LVAS clinical trial. She has done extremely well living with the DuraHeart LVAS, which has proven to be quite durable and capable of providing the critical long-term support required by our heart failure patients."

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