Combined Ventricular Assist Device Placement With Adjustable Gastric Band (VAD-BAND): A Promising New Technique for Morbidly Obese Patients Awaiting Potential Cardiac Transplantation.

Background: Morbid obesity remains a potential relative contraindication for cardiac transplantation. Hence, a select population of morbidly obese patients with end-stage heart failure may require a ventricular assist device (VAD) as a bridge to transplantation to afford them time to lose sufficient weight and thus decrease there mortality rate after transplantation. Unfortunately, obtaining suitable weight loss via dietary or exercise regimens is limited by the cardiac limitations of the patients.