Left Ventricular Assist Devices for Lifelong Support

Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Patient selection for left-ventricular assist devices.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Selection of appropriate candidates is one of the most important determinants of successful outcomes of left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The review describes a step-by-step approach to evaluation of patients with end-stage heart failure for LVAD implantation. RECENT FINDINGS This article includes a summary of the recently published guidelines on candidate ...

Ventricular assist devices for durable support.

Clinical Challenge What can we offer a 70-year-old retired schoolteacher hospitalized with congestion for the third time in 6 months? The LVEF is 21%. Shortness of breath interrupts sleeping and dressing, and peak oxygen consumption of 9 mL/kg per minute confirms NYHA Class IV status. He has noninsulindependent diabetes and chronic coronary artery disease, with patent grafts to thin-caliber ves...

Left ventricular assist devices as destination therapy.

Although an estimated 16,500 Americans annually could benefit from a heart transplant, in 1999 only 2184 heart transplants were performed in the United States. These statistics emphasize the severity of the shortage of available hearts for transplantation. Circulatory support provided by an implantable Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) that meets Food and Drug Administration approval as des...

Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Engineering Design Considerations

Patients with end-stage congestive heart failure awaiting heart transplantation often wait long periods of time (300 days or more on the average) before a suitable donor heart becomes available. The medical community has placed increased emphasis on the use of Left Ventricular Assist Devices or LVADs that can substitute for, or enhance, the function of the natural heart while the patient is wai...