Long-term circulatory support with a left ventricular assist device therapy in Japan.

edical and electrical therapies for systolic heart failure have improved patients’ outcome and the altered natural history of the disease. Although heart transplantation remains the most successful treatment option for patients with advanced heart failure refractory in terms of medical and electrical treatments, cardiac transplantation is available for only a minority of patients because of a lack of suitable donor hearts. As a consequence of limited donor availability, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy has become an established treatment for patients with advanced heart failure as either a bridge to transplantation or as a permanent support as an alternative to transplantation.