LITTLE ROCK  – Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock (BHMC-LR) implanted the state’s first HeartMate III, a left ventricular assist device, as part of a clinical trial called MOMENTUM III.   

The Baptist Health Heart Transplant Program is currently one of only 60 select centers chosen to evaluate the Thoratec HeartMate III, left ventricular assist device, the latest advancement in mechanical circulatory support. This trial is expected to enroll more than 1,000 patients nationwide.

The HeartMate III is an implantable mechanical device that helps circulate blood throughout the body. Sometimes called a “heart pump” or “VAD” it is designed to supplement the pumping function of the heart for patients whose hearts are too weak to pump blood adequately on their own. The MOMENTUM III Clinical Trial is designed to evaluate the performance and safety of the HeartMate III at six months of LVAD support in subjects with advanced heart failure. The potential benefits of the HeartMate III include fewer complications and the device is much smaller than previous HeartMates allowing for a more active lifestyle.

Baptist Health was the first in the state to perform a heart transplant in 1989 and is currently the only active adult heart transplant center in Arkansas having performed 228 heart transplants since then.  The Baptist Health Heart Transplant Program is also the only facility in Arkansas implanting adult left ventricular assist devices.