Second Heart Assist Appoints Clayton Taylor as Board Chair

December 6, 2024—Second Heart Assist Inc. recently announced the appointment of Clayton Taylor as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

The Salt Lake City, Utah-based company is developing the Whisper temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS) system that utilizes a stent cage fitted with a motorized impeller to aid in providing circulatory support throughout a patient’s body.

The company stated that Taylor will collaborate with independent Board Director Mark Libratore to drive Second Heart Assist through early feasibility studies, FDA approvals, and eventual commercialization of the Whisper device. To facilitate these goals, Taylor and Libratore have designed a targeted investment package to support the next phase of funding. This package includes enhancements to board composition, leadership criteria, and Management-by-Objectives practices tied to budget as well as employee incentives.

According to the company, Taylor has a 27-year track record as a company Founder, CEO, Board Member, and Chair. He has guided and worked independently and alongside of private equity partners through two controlling interest sales. He built high-performing teams, cultivated strong company cultures, and led strategic expansion initiatives within the data center and utility industries. The press release noted that he partnered with a private equity firm over a 9-year period, ultimately achieving a substantial nine-figure valuation increase for the company.

Howard Leonhardt, the lead inventor of the Second Heart device, has provided leadership through the development and launchpad accelerator program, Leonhardt Ventures. He will continue to contribute as a Board Member while shifting his focus to other health care solutions, stated the company.

As described in Second Heart Assist’s press release, the Whisper system is intended for use in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure and who develop diuretic resistance with persistent congestion (cardio-renal syndrome), and/or cardiogenic shock, and those in need of prophylactic hemodynamic support during high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention. The Second Heart Assist Whisper device is not approved and not for sale in any geography, advised the company.

In November 2024, Second Heart Assist announced the conclusion of its second set of case studies to assess the safety and effectiveness of the Whisper percutaneous MCS device.