Introduction Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) for pediatric patients has advanced enormously, since its first reported use in the 1950s by Gibbon, Kirklin, and Lillehei in the form of a cardiopulmonary…
Key wordsventricular assist devices, adverse events, stroke, risk factors, vad outcomes, device malfunction Introduction The evolution of ventricular assist devices (VAD) since the year 2000 has allowed patients with…
Case presentation A 73-year-old retired psychiatrist presents with advanced congestive heart failure (HF) (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class IV). He was healthy until about 3 years ago. On evaluation,…
Introduction For end-stage heart failure (HF), heart transplantation or implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is lifesaving and provides a significant improvement in quality of life. Despite the…
The use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) as a long-term therapy for end-stage heart failure is associated with many psychosocial considerations for both patients and their families. These considerations span…
Perioperative management This chapter focuses on the early postoperative care of patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs). Appropriate patient selection and optimal implantation techniques greatly simplify postoperative management. Indeed, some…
Historical note The first left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was implanted in 1963 by Dr. DeBakey in a patient with postcardiotomy shock. As the incidence of heart failure rose to…
Introduction Heart failure (HF) is one of the major medical burdens in our society. Complete recovery of the heart after insult has been an attractive goal for many clinicians and…
Development of mechanical circulatory support systems The methods for providing mechanical circulatory support (MCS) have varied greatly. The evolution of MCS technology has been gradual, as the biological barriers to…
Introduction Mechanical circulatory support with durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) has become a mainstay therapy for treatment of advanced heart failure refractory to optimal medical management and has now…
