SWAT team approach to ventricular assistance.
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.
Brugger
J P
JP
Cardiovascular Research Institute, Sion, Switzerland.
Bonandi
L
L
Meli
M
M
Lichtsteiner
M
M
Odermatt
R
R
Hahn
C
C
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