Current Situation
Medical Need
As of today, no effective medical device exists for the therapy of Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction.
Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome that results from any structural or functional impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood1. It is a serious condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. The typical symptoms of heart failure are breathlessness, swollen limbs and fatigue. Despite improvements in healthcare over the past 20 years, the outlook for patients with heart failure remains poor and survival rates are worse than those with most cancers2.
Heart failure occurs mainly in two forms Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) and Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction HFpEF).
Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF), accounting for less than 50% of heart failure patients, is characterized by the thinning of the left ventricular walls, decreased systolic function (Ejection Fraction ≤35-40%) and enlarged left ventricular volume1 3. Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), accounting for more than 50% of heart failure patients, is characterized by concentric hypertrophy and results in normal sized left ventricular cavity with thickened walls and preserved systolic function (Ejection Fraction >40-50%)1 3.
Socio-Economic Burden
More than 26 million people worldwide are living with heart failure 4,5. Heart failure imposes a huge economic burden, with estimated global overall economic cost of more than $108 billion per annum. Direct costs accounted for ~60% ($65 billion) and indirect costs accounted for ~40% ($43 billion) of the overall spending6. With an aging, rapidly expanding and industrializing global population, this value will continue to rise6.
References
See references here
