Mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to heart transplantation: what remains? Long-term emotional sequelae in patients and spouses.

Background: Implantation of a ventricular assist device (VAD) reduces short-term mortality and morbidity and provides patients with reasonable quality of life even though it may also be a long-lasting emotional burden. This study was conducted to analyze the long-time emotional consequences of VAD implantation, followed by heart transplantation in patients and spouses.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) Version, recording avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal, to investigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and VAD-related fears and concerns.

Left ventricular assist devices decrease fixed pulmonary hypertension in cardiac transplant candidates.

Objective: Fixed pulmonary hypertension is a contraindication for cardiac transplantation because of the increased risk of donor heart failure. We sought to determine whether left ventricular assist devices improve fixed pulmonary hypertension in cardiac transplant candidates to enable safe cardiac transplantation.

Methods: Thirty-five consecutive cardiac transplant candidates (age 56 +/- 6 years, 88.

The DuraHeart VAD, a magnetically levitated centrifugal pump: the University of Vienna bridge-to-transplant experience.

Background: The clinical application of the DuraHeart (Terumo Heart Inc, USA) has begun in Europe as a clinical trial of a third-generation implantable centrifugal blood pump. Four successful clinical implants are presented.

Methods And Results: Four male patients had end-stage left heart failure and received a DuraHeart VAD as a left ventricular assist device for bridge-to-transplantation.

First clinical experience with an automatic control system for rotary blood pumps during ergometry and right-heart catheterization.

Background: At present, most clinically implanted rotary blood pumps are operated at constant speed and adjusted by the physician. It is generally assumed that an adaptation of pump speed to the patient's physiologic requirements would be beneficial. The data provided in this paper, based on hemodynamic and spirometric data during exercise in which a pre-load-sensitive control was used, lend quantitative support to this assumption.

Neurocognitive function in patients with ventricular assist devices: a comparison of pulsatile and continuous blood flow devices.

The effect of successful ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation on neurocognitive function in terminal heart failure is uncertain. Additionally, the different impact of continuous versus pulsatile blood flow devices is unknown. A total of 29 patients (mean age 53 years), surviving implantation of a ventricular assist device as bridge to transplantation were prospectively followed (continuous flow: Micromed DeBakey, n = 11; pulsatile flow: Thoratec and Novacor, n = 18).

Extensive coagulation monitoring in patients after implantation of the MicroMed Debakey continuous flow axial pump.

Ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation is associated with impaired primary hemostasis and thromboembolic complications. Recently, a new generation of implantable continuous flow axial pumps was introduced into clinical application. To study the potential thrombogenic properties of this type of pump, we applied extensive platelet monitoring was applied.