Leviticus Cardio Ltd. Completes a Successful Animal Trial for its Wireless Energy System for VADs

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Leviticus Cardio, a portfolio company of the Mofet Venture Accelerator, owned by the Trendlines Group, recently performed a successful animal surgical trial using its wireless coplanar energy transfer system (CET) for ventricular assist devices (VAD). The surgery was performed at Assaf Harofeh Hospital and produced a 75% full system efficiency rate as compared with 78% efficiency in vitro.

The animal trials were done using the Leviticus CET system and Jarvik Heart VAD. The CET system performed the energy transfer to the animal body and controlled the VAD pump operation.

In vitro lab tests were conducted using several commercial VAD systems of Thoratec, Heartware, Jarvik Heart and Cleveland Heart. In all these tests, the Leviticus CET system was used to transfer the energy and to control the VAD pumping operation using the Leviticus advanced controller.

Leviticus Cardio was selected to present the results of these in vitro and in vivo tests as part of the scientific program in ISHLT 2013 convention held at Montreal.  

VADs are used to extend the lives of thousands of patients suffering from chronic heart failure or waiting for a heart transplant. Today, VAD patients are connected with wires to an external power supply - risking dangerous infections, repeated hospitalizations and severely limiting mobility. Leviticus Cardio's wireless CET system powers the VAD without wires, thereby avoiding the complications associated with today's technologies. In addition, the Leviticus Cardio's system can easily be removed for limited periods of time to give patients complete freedom of movement without any external device attached.

Michael Zilbershlag, Leviticus co-founder and CEO, stated, "This successful trial is a significant milestone in validating our technology and advancing towards commercialization. We are especially fortunate to be working with Prof. Stephan Schueler, M.D., a leading cardiothoracic surgeon in Europe and with the support from VAD manufacturer Jarvik Heart for the procedures."

Prof. Schueler remarked: "This new device allows us to apply the VAD technology to a wider group of patients outside of the transplant patients' group. For them, to have all the advantages of a wireless technology will have a huge impact on their morbidity and even mortality, and quite obviously on their quality of life."

Media relations:  Efrat Kaduri, Ofir Shpigel Media and Public Relations, +972-4-9535030

SOURCE Leviticus Cardio Ltd