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Canadian Hospital Succeeds with Mechanical Heart Surgery

The McGill University Health Centre is the first site in Canada to successfully use new mechanical heart technology. Until now, mechanical hearts were considered temporary devices designed to bridge the gap to a heart transplant. Mechanical hearts were considered for patients who developed shock following a heart attack. This provided additional time for cardiovascular surgeons to perform a heart transplant while stabilizing the patient.

Recently authorized in Canada, the new mechanical hearts are designed to permit recovery of heart function in some patients with heart failure. The new devices are less damaging to implant than the previous options and are less expensive.

The McGill University Health Centre is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. The MUHC is a merger of five teaching hospitals affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University -- the Montreal Children's, Montreal General, Royal Victoria, and Montreal Neurological Hospitals, as well as the Montreal Chest Institute.