title: Mechanical ventricular support lowers pulmonary vascular resistance in a patient with congential heart disease.
abstract: Severely elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is a relative contraindication to orthotopic heart transplantation. A potential novel strategy to reverse elevated PVR may be implantation of a chronic left ventricular assist device with subsequent left ventricular unloading. We present a patient with elevated PVR secondary to congenital heart disease who was listed for heart-lung transplant. The patient underwent placement of biventricular assist devices and subsequently experienced marked reduction of PVR, ultimately enabling successful heart transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27703, USA.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Petrofski
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hoopes
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Bashore
authors.forename: Stuart D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Carmelo A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Milano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D000075202:Contraindications; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology*