Development, Pre-Clinical Validation of the UltraMag and Summary of the Clinical Experience With Levitronix Ventricular Assist System

Over 6,500 cardiac and cardiopulmonary support patients have been treated worldwide with Levitronix “MagLev” support devices, including over 850 pediatric patients. The Levitronix CentriMag and PediMag systems are currently commercially available for short term clinical cardiopulmonary support applications. A new version of ventricular assist device, the UltraMag has been developed. The UltraMag is designed for VAD support of infants and adults. The UltraMag device is intended for use for up to 90 days of extracorporeal cardiac or cardiopulmonary support. This article describes this unique technology, preclinical validation, and reports on the worldwide clinical experience with all commercially available Levitronix support systems.