Communication interruption leading to unintentional start/stop of the HeartMate 3™ Left Ventricle Assist Device

A Dear Healthcare Professional Letter has been issued by Abbott Medical (Singapore) to highlight the interruption of communications with the HeartMate Touch™ Communication System application version (HeartMate Touch App) 1.0.32, resulting in unintentional start/stop of the HeartMate 3™ Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD). Disconnection of the HeartMate System Controller or Wireless Adapter from the Power Module prior to completion of the “STOP PUMP” sequence will lead to a communication interruption between the HeartMate Touch App and the HeartMate System Controller. This results in unintentional LVAD start/stop when communication resumes and triggers the HeartMate Touch App to initiate the remaining “STOP PUMP” commands. Healthcare professionals are advised to refer to supplemental guidance and recommendations within the letter to prevent unintentional LVAD start/stop from occurring. Abbott is developing a software update to prevent this issue and users will be contacted for a software upgrade. Please refer to the letter for details.

Only abstracts of the Dear Healthcare Professional Letters (DHCPL) are provided on this website. Details of these letters can be found in the MOH Alert System, which is accessible via the Health Professionals Portal (HPP), a one-stop portal for all healthcare professionals in Singapore. Dentists, medical doctors and pharmacists may access HPP at https://hpp.moh.gov.sg and follow the procedures below to access the MOH Alert system.

Step 1: Select your profession under ‘For Healthcare Professionals’.

Step 2: Click on ‘Useful links’.

Step 3: Click on ‘MOH Alert’ and log in via Singpass.

Step 4: Click on ‘Drug Alerts’ or ‘Med Device Alerts’ to view the DHCPLs.