Keeping Hearts Pumping

An estimated one million people worldwide have heart conditions that would benefit from a heart transplant. However, the number of donor hearts available is extremely limited, with fewer than 3,000 total transplants performed each year in the United States. Fortunately, for people with such heart problems, a unique collaboration between NASA, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. George Noon, and MicroMed Technology, Inc., has resulted in a lifesaving heart pump for patients awaiting transplants. The MicroMed DeBakey VAD® is a ventricular assist device that functions as a “bridge to heart transplant” by pumping blood throughout the body to keep critically ill patients alive until a donor heart is available.