Ventricular Assist Devices for Durable Support

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...

Ventricular assist devices for all?

In the past 5 years, the numbers of ventricular assist device (VAD) systems implanted worldwide have increased exponentially. Thus, since the introduction of the HeartMate II LVAD by Thoratec (Thoratec Inc., Pleasanton, CA, USA) over 10 000 of these pumps have been implanted. The HVAD manufactured by HeartWare (HeartWare Inc., Framingham, MA, USA) has also found widespread application in Europe...

Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Pediatric ventricular assist devices.

The field of pediatric mechanical circulatory support with ventricular assist devices has lagged significantly behind that of adult patients. However, there is increasing attention on the emerging field of pediatric ventricular assist device support. In this review, part of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society/Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Joint Consensus Statement on Mechani...

Ventricular assist devices in pediatrics

The implantation of a mechanical circulatory device for end-stage ventricular failure is a possible therapeutic approach in adult and pediatric cardiac surgery and cardiology. The aim of this article is to present mechanical circulatory assist devices used in infants and children with special emphasis on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, Berlin Heart assist device, centrifugal pump and Medos...