Heart failure is a condition in which a damaged heart becomes too weak to efficiently pump blood. An implantable heart pump could cut the risk of blood clots, bleeding, and stroke in patients with advanced heart failure, according to a study funded by the device’s maker.

The study included more than a thousand patients who received either Abbott’s HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) or the HeartMate II. After two years, about 75 percent of those in the HeartMate 3 group were still alive, had not suffered a disabling stroke, and did not require another operation to remove a malfunctioning device, compared with nearly 61 percent in the HeartMate II group, the study found.

While nearly 14 percent of HeartMate II patients experienced pump-related clotting, these issues occurred in just 1.4 percent of HeartMate 3 patients.

With fewer clots, the odds for stroke fell, as well: disabling stroke occurred in 5 percent of HeartMate 3 patients, compared with 7.5 percent of HeartMate II patients.