Efficacy and safety of a percutaneous right ventricular assist system.
BACKGROUND
Mechanical right ventricular assistance is necessary in the management of profound right ventricular failure resistant to medical therapy. Conventional right ventricular assistance requires a thoracotomy. We developed a technique for assisting the failing right ventricle without thoracotomy.


METHODS
We implanted the percutaneous right ventricular assist system in animals to test its feasibility and safety. A feasibility study was performed in a right ventricular failure model using 12 open chest dogs, and we examined the effects of the system hemodynamically. Next, the system was implanted into 6 goats and driven for 2 to 8 days.


RESULTS
Institution of the percutaneous right ventricular assist system revealed overall hemodynamic improvement on right ventricular failure in dogs. In the goat experiment, no animal died from cannula-related complications. No damage to the intracardiac structures and no pulmonary edema were seen. Plasma free hemoglobin concentration did not exceed 10 mg/dL.


CONCLUSIONS
The percutaneous right ventricular assist system is safe and effective in the management of right ventricular failure.
Yano
M
M
Second Department of Surgery, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan.
Onitsuka
T
T
Shibata
K
K
Koga
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006439:Hemodynamics; D012449:Safety; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy