Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Introduction: Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a surgical procedure which is considered the only effective and potentially curative treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). CTEPH is a rare outcome from pulmonary emboli and, when left untreated, will result in right ventricular failure and death.

Methods: From June 1999 to November 2003, 40 of these procedures were performed in our institution.

Impella: a miniaturized cardiac support system in an era of minimal invasive cardiac surgery.

In modern coronary bypass surgery, new objectives have been set based upon a minimal invasive approach: beating heart surgery is the new trend to follow, although this might not be feasible in more complex cases. In these cases, the beating heart could be supported by a mechanical device, preferably a device with minimal invasive features to fit in this new approach. For this purpose, two intravascular blood pumps were developed: the Intracardiac Pump LV for left ventricular support and the Intracardiac pump RV for right ventricular support.