CSI’s Propel Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Device Used in FIH Procedures

March 16, 2022—Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) announced that the first-in-human procedures have been completed with the company’s first-generation Propel percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD). Propel is designed to provide hemodynamic support for patients undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HR-PCI) procedures.

According to the company, the Propel pVAD provided uninterrupted hemodynamic support leading to successful revascularization. The device was used at multiple support levels, with a hemodynamic power output and duration sufficient to maintain the stability of patients during HR-PCI.

The first patients were treated in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, by David E. Kandzari, MD, who is Chief, Piedmont Heart Institute and Cardiovascular Services in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.

CSI stated that the device’s small-profile pump and small catheter body minimize access site and procedural complications. The blood inlet portion of the device is positioned within the left ventricle below the aortic valve, and the outlet is positioned above the aortic valve.

“This is a novel pVAD system that enables a 12-F in-body pump with a 7-F in-body catheter,” commented Dr. Kandzari in CSI’s press release. “This reduction in size may reduce the clinical complications associated with high-risk procedures while providing the clinically necessary cardiac support for the patient. The lower catheter profile may also increase the potential for use in patients with challenging anatomy that exclude treatment with current therapies.”