by John P. Meyer

Device to be tested on patients with "severe heart failure" - as opposed to what, exactly?

Patients with the sorts of chronic congestive heart failure which have proven resistant to traditional treatments may be prime candidates for randomized medical trials designed to test the effectiveness of (drum roll) The Cancion System.

"The Cancion," if vindicated during trials, will provide a less-invasive alternative to a heart transplant or artificial heart surgical solutions, and also may serve as a valuable stop-gap measure in cases where a patient may need to wait for a new heart or otherwise delay major surgery.

"Good news, Mr. Blotsky. Your heart failure is not serious."

Comprised of a small external pumping unit and two internally-implanted catheters, the system takes only about 20 minutes to insert and the operation can be done under local anesthesia.

UT Southwestern doctors will operate (if you'll excuse the expression) as elements of a 40-site national study, which - according to the press release - is geared toward patients with "severe heart failure," meaning that their heart is unable to function in a way that maintains adequate blood flow.

Personally, I'm hoping the docs consider all my heart failures to be of the "severe" variety - at least during triage.

Further information can be obtained by calling UT Southwestern's Heart, Lung and Vascular Center at 214-645-8000.