Data from the Momentum 3 trial — the world’s largest randomized clinical trial to assess long-term outcomes in people receiving a left ventricular assist device (also known as an LVAD or heart pump) to treat advanced heart failure — were presented during a late-breaking session at the 2022 European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The study demonstrated that HeartMate 3 extends the survival of advanced heart failure patients by at least five years, highlighting it as a life-saving option for people with later-stage disease.
According to a news release, Momentum 3 evaluated more than 1,000 patients and, for the first time in a clinical trial setting, found that people with advanced heart failure who received the HeartMate 3 heart pump lived beyond five years. The company said the patient population would otherwise have its median survival limited to less than one year without a heart pump or transplant and limited therapy options.
“The Momentum 3 study proves that the HeartMate 3 heart pump has significantly moved the needle in terms of options for increasing life expectancy for our most advanced heart failure patients,” said Dr. Divya Gupta, medical director of Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation at Emory Healthcare. “This research shows strong consideration should be given for this life-extending therapy for the thousands of people who are in advanced heart failure and meet the indications for the HeartMate 3.”
Five-year data compared HeartMate 3 to Abbott’s HeartMate II pump and demonstrated that the next-generation LVAD goes beyond its two-year outcomes to provide a survival rate of 58% (compared to 44% with HeartMate II).
HeartMate 3 also demonstrated reduced morbidity and mortality, with greater survival largely associated with a reduction in deaths due to stroke, clotting and bleeding compared to HeartMate II.
“Thousands of people with advanced heart failure die every year because they do not receive a heart pump, largely because their physicians are not aware of the option or its full benefits,” said Keith Boettiger, VP of Abbott’s heart failure business. “There are too many patients who aren’t provided the opportunity to be evaluated for a heart pump, such as patients with obesity, diabetes, certain cancers and blood types or those from underserved communities across the United States.
“With broader awareness and improved access to a heart pump, we can give these patients a chance at a longer, fuller life.”
