Changes in Total Cardiac Output and Oxygen Extraction During Exercise in Patients Supported With an HVAD Left Ventricular Assist Device.

Following implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), acceptable functional performance is now being achieved; however, peak VO and peak work load (watts) remain considerably limited. Maximum physical capacity is essentially dependent on generated cardiac output (CO) and arteriovenous oxygen difference (avDO ). We investigated the changes in CO and avDO during exercise in LVAD patients with an HVAD pump (HeartWare Inc.