title: SWAT team approach to ventricular assistance.
abstract: In 1986, the Cardiovascular Research Institute in Sion, Switzerland, created a flying bridge-to-cardiac transplantation team. This team, consisting of two physicians, a physicist, a biomedical engineer, and two intensive care nurses, has participated in 23 bridges to cardiac transplantation in 11 cardiovascular surgery centers in Europe. The cardiac function of all patients was 100% supported by paracorporeal pneumatic biventricular Pierce-Donachy devices. Twenty of the 23 patients have had transplantation, and 11 are alive and well. The bridge-to-cardiac transplantation team, which travels with a transportable driver and the ventricle sets, supervises the bridged patients 24 hours a day until cardiac transplantation is performed.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Institute, Sion, Switzerland.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brugger
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonandi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lichtsteiner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Odermatt
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001243:Assisted Circulation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team