CardioClasp changes left ventricular shape acutely in enlarged canine heart.

Background: In dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), eliminating or reducing extra-geometric burden to the myocardial cells would directly reduce myocardial wall stress leading to improved LV systolic performance. In acute experiments, we tested whether a passive non-blood contacting CardioClasp device, which employs two indenting bars to reshape the left ventricle (LV), could reduce extra-geometric burden, LV wall stress (LVWS) and improve LV systolic function and contractility without decreasing arterial blood pressure.

Methods: In mongrel dogs (n = 5), 4 weeks of right ventricular pacing (210-220-230-240 ppm) induced DCM with severe heart failure.