Degenerative changes of the aortic valve during left ventricular assist device support.

Aims: Donor heart shortage leads to increasing use of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) as bridge-to-transplant or destination therapy. Prolonged LVAD support is associated with aortic valve insufficiency, representing a relevant clinical problem in LVAD patients. Nevertheless, the impact of LVAD support on inflammation, remodelling, and chondro-osteogenic differentiation of the aortic valve is still not clearly understood.

Altered mRNA Expression of Interleukin-1 Receptors in Myocardial Tissue of Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Device Support.

Serum levels of cytokines interleukin 1 beta ( ) and interleukin 33 (IL-33) are highly abnormal in heart failure and remain elevated after mechanical circulatory support (MCS). However, local cytokine signaling induction remains elusive. Left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) myocardial tissue specimens of end-stage heart failure (HF) patients without ( = 24) and with MCS ( = 39; 594 ± 57 days) were analyzed for cytokine mRNA expression level of , interleukin 1 receptor 1/2 (), interleukin 1 receptor-like 1 (), and interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein ().