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Biotech / Medical : World Heart Corp - WHRT and TSE/WHT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Bevington who wrote (225)	2/23/1999 11:40:00 PM
From: Mindshare	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 500

The TETS system is the only way to go. I think it will power all internal devices. Who owns the TETS patent? I am sure the DeBakey VAD will use the TETS system for total implants. As far as commercial considerations for the DeBakey VAD, the device will be sold commercially once approved by regulatory agencies. A company has licensed the technology from NASA. I do not know when or if the company will go public. As far as competing devices, there are several, but they are all pulsatile. I think the story centered on the fact that this device was very different. The thing weighs less than 4 oz!!! There is only one moving part. No diaphragms, no check valves, no seals, etc... The device could last a very long time. I wonder what it feels like to have something whirring around at 10,000 rpm inside your chest. Maybe you don't feel anything. I would love to see an interview with one of the patients. I will continue to provide information on the DeBakey VAD so long as no one objects. I do not want to cause the thread do go offcourse. I am also very interested in World Heart's progress. Non-pulsatile flow may prove to be a big problem down the road. But for now, I think its great this device has saved lives. That's the purpose of all these devices in the first place. Sincerely, Mindshare

To: Steve Bevington who wrote (225)	2/24/1999 9:53:00 PM
From: kidl	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 500

I also saw the DATELINE piece and was impressed from a "general public interest" point of view. True they didn't mention anything about competitive devices or the commercial nature of such a device but with only 5% of those thousands in need of a new heart (0 beyond the age of 65), it seems that not only is there a serious need but lots of room for competition! With present survival rate odds at 50%, there is still a lot of work to be done. It's also interesting to note that the first implants were performed in Berlin, Germany not the US. REH