May 8, 2009 -- Hypertronics Corp. announced that its HyperGrip and D series circular connectors have been selected by SynCardia Systems Inc. to provide critical interconnect reliability for that company's Freedom driver device, which is currently under development and is designed to power the CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart.
The CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart, manufactured by SynCardia, is billed as the only FDA- and CE-approved temporary Total Artificial Heart in the world. The Freedom driver device weighs less than 10 pounds and is designed to allow patients to be discharged from the hospital while they wait for a donor heart transplant, which eliminates most in-hospital costs for this portion of their care and improves their quality of life.
In a clinical study of the CardioWest artificial heart, 79 percent of patients receiving the artificial heart survived to the point of transplant. This statistic is cited as the highest bridge-to-transplant rate for any medical device.
Syncardia says the Hypertronics HyperGrip and D series connectors were chosen because of their reliable electromechanical performance characteristics, including high cycle life, low contact resistance, low insertion/extraction force, and resistance to shock and vibration.
"For the artificial heart and driver, ultra-reliable connectivity is paramount, so we chose the technology that could deliver," adds Rodger Ford, SynCardia president and CEO. "Hypertronics contacts have the proven Hypertac technology that eliminates the uncertainty about connectivity."
Since 2004, Hypertronics has maintained ISO13485:2003 certification to ensure that quality management systems are in compliance with the medical device standards for the design and manufacture of components used in medical devices. The HyperGrip product is designed to meet medical industry requirements, such as finger-proofing to IEC60601, flammability rating to UL94-V0, and compatibility with most sterilization requirements.
A user-configurable circular connector, HyperGrip is color-coded and customer-keyable for accurate and quick connections on medical equipment.
On the Web:
www.hypertronics.com
www.syncardia.com
