Enhancing Left Ventricular Assist Device Usability: A Comparative Simulation Study of CorWave and HeartMate 3...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Device Usability
• Cardiovascular Technology

Background:

• Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are crucial for heart failure management but often present usability challenges impacting patient quality of life (QoL).
• Wearable components of LVADs require frequent interaction, making user-centered design critical for safe and effective long-term support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the usability of CorWave LVAD (CW) peripheral prototypes against HeartMate 3 LVAD (HM3) peripherals.
• To evaluate user performance and preference in simulated tasks relevant to daily LVAD management.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, simulation-based study involving 46 untrained participants (LVAD-naive laypeople and heart transplantation patients).
• Participants completed six simulated tasks assessing initial success rates, duration to success, pump-off time, and post-scenario usability.
• Performance metrics were compared between the CW and HM3 device groups.

Main Results:

• The CW cohort showed significantly higher initial success rates (92.7% vs. 80.6%, p=0.008).
• CW users completed battery exchanges twice as fast (p≤0.001), and controller exchange tasks had shorter durations and pump-off times compared to HM3 (p≤0.005).
• The CW group exhibited substantially lower complexity and higher success rates when connecting to AC power (p≤0.001), with a preference for CW cable lengths (92.9% vs. 69.0%, p=0.001).

Conclusions:

• CorWave LVAD peripherals demonstrate superior usability compared to HeartMate 3, indicated by higher success rates and faster task completion.
• The user-centered design of CW may lead to improved quality of life and enhanced safety for patients requiring LVAD support.
• These findings suggest potential for improved patient adherence and reduced caregiver burden with the CW device.