HEARTWARE® VENTRICULAR ASSIST SYSTEM
Report
- Report Number
- 3007042319-2014-01135
- Event Type
- Malfunction
- Date Received
- October 24, 2014
- Date of Event
- May 20, 2014
- Report Date
- October 8, 2014
- Manufacturer
- HEARTWARE, INC
- Product Code
- DSQ
- PMA / PMN Number
- P100047
- Removal / Correction Number
- Z-1607-2014
- Product Problem
- Yes
- Report Source
- Manufacturer report
- Reporter Location
- IT
- Reporter Occupation
- HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
Narratives
THE HEARTWARE VAD IS USED FOR TREATMENT NOT DIAGNOSIS. THE SITE EXCHANGED THE BATTERIES AND RETURNED THE DEVICES TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR EVALUATION. THERE WAS NO REPORTED INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS EVENT. VARIOUS ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED AND REVIEWED IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE RETURNED SCREEN BATTERIES IN RELATION TO THE REPORTED EVENT. AN EVALUATION OF RETURNED BATTERY (B)(4) WAS NOT PERFORMED AS THE BATTERY LOT IS IDENTIFIED AS LOTS PERTAINING TO RECALL FSCA APR2014.1; THEREFORE PRODUCT EVALUATION IS NOT REQUIRED. THE RETURNED BATTERIES (B)(4) PASSED VISUAL INSPECTION AND FUNCTIONAL TESTING. DURING TESTING, NONE OF THE BATTERY CELL PAIRS EXHIBITED VOLTAGES BELOW THE 2.8 VOLTS LEVEL, AND THE FULL CHARGE CAPACITY REMAINED ABOVE 2800 MAH. THE REPORTED EVENT WAS CONFIRMED VIA THE LOG FILES. REVIEW OF THE LOG FILES REVEALED THERE WAS A SERIES OF UNTIMELY BATTERY SWITCHING AND A 'CRITICAL BATTERY' ALARM. APPLICABLE RISK DOCUMENTATION AND EXPERIENCE WITH EVENTS OF SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES WERE CONSIDERED; EVENTS WITH POWER SWITCHING OF MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO COMMUNICATION ERRORS BETWEEN THE CONTROLLER AND BATTERY. POWER SWITCHING EVENTS INVOLVING UNSCREENED BATTERIES ARE MOST OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO A FAULTY CELL. HEARTWARE HAS OPENED AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION TO EVALUATE THESE TYPES OF ISSUES. THERE ARE NO KNOWN CLINICAL OR USER RELATED FACTORS THAT COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EVENT. THE MOST LIKELY ROOT CAUSE OF THE REPORTED 'POWER SWITCHING' EVENT IS A COMBINATION OF BATTERIES WITH FAULTY CELLS AND A COMMUNICATION ERROR BETWEEN THE CONTROLLER AND BATTERIES. THIS DEVICE IS USED FOR TREATMENT NOT DIAGNOSIS. THE VENTRICULAR ASSIST SYSTEM IS INDICATED FOR USE AS A BRIDGE TO CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION IN PATIENTS WHO ARE AT RISK OF DEATH FROM REFRACTORY END-STAGE LEFT VENTRICULAR HEART FAILURE. THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED FOR IN-HOSPITAL AND OUT-OF-HOSPITAL SETTINGS. ON APRIL 30, 2014, A FIELD SAFETY NOTICE (FSCA APR2014) WAS ISSUED TO US PHYSICIANS TOGETHER WITH A PATIENT LETTER TO BE DELIVERED BY SITES TO PATIENTS CURRENTLY ON DEVICE. THE FIELD SAFETY NOTICE AND PATIENT LETTER WERE INTENDED TO ENABLE PATIENTS TO RECOGNIZE ABNORMALLY BEHAVING BATTERIES AND TO SPECIFY ACTIONS TO TAKE WHEN A BATTERY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE COMMUNICATIONS OUTLINED GENERAL POWER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND FOCUSED ON RECOGNIZING THE ALARMS AND MESSAGE DISPLAYS RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC FAILURE MODES. BOXED INSTRUCTIONS WERE PROVIDED IN THE FIELD SAFETY NOTICE TO PROVIDE ADVICE TO PATIENTS AND SITES ON HOW TO RESPOND IN THE EVENT OF PREMATURE BATTERY SWITCHING, RAPID CAPACITY CHANGE, OR RAPID SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH. ADDITIONALLY, FSCA APR2015A WAS ISSUED AS A VOLUNTARY "URGENT MEDICAL DEVICE CORRECTION"; COMMUNICATION WAS ISSUED TO THE SITES AND PATIENTS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ON MAY 11, 2015. AN "URGENT FIELD SAFETY NOTICE" WAS SENT TO SITES AND PATIENTS NOT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ON MAY 14, 2015. PER THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE (IFU): PATIENTS ARE INSTRUCTED TO ALWAYS KEEP A SPARE SET OF FULLY CHARGED BATTERIES AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES, BEYOND THE TWO (2) POWER SOURCES THAT ARE CURRENTLY CONNECTED TO THE CONTROLLER. HEARTWARE WILL SUBMIT A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WHEN NEW FACTS ARISES WHICH MATERIALLY ALTERS INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN A PREVIOUS MDR REPORT. HEARTWARE IS SUBMITTING THIS REPORT AS A RESULT OF REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES RELATED TO FDA WARNING LETTER FLA-14-14, DATED JUNE 2, 2014, AND PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF 21 CFR PART 803.
THE HVAD REMAINS IMPLANTED IN THE PATIENT, THEREFORE, IT WILL NOT BE RETURNED. HOWEVER, THE BATTERIES ((B)(4)) HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND ARE AWAITING FURTHER ANALYSIS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE SUBMITTED WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS OF RECEIPT. PRODUCT REMAINS IMPLANTED.
APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AND THREE MONTHS POST HVAD IMPLANTATION, IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE PATIENT EXPERIENCED POWER SWITCHING FROM ONE PORT OF THE CONTROLLER TO THE OTHER EARLIER THAN EXPECTED. ALL THE BATTERIES WERE REPLACED AND RETURNED TO HEARTWARE FOR EVALUATION. THERE WAS NO REPORTED PATIENT INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS EVENT; THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED WITH THE REPLACEMENT BATTERIES. INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
Devices
| Seq | Brand | Generic | Product Code | Manufacturer | Model | Lot | UDI-DI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 678609 | HEARTWARE® VENTRICULAR ASSIST SYSTEM | CIRCULATORY ASSIST SYSTEM | DSQ | HEARTWARE, INC |
Patients
| Seq | Age | Sex | Outcome | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (B)(4)_BATTERY| (B)(4)_BATTERY| (B)(4)_BATTERY |