Successful replacement of malfunctioning TCI HeartMate LVAD with DeBakey LVAD as a bridge to heart transplantation.
Congestive heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization and death in the developed world and affects about 0.4-2% of the adult population [Ann Thorac Surg 1999;68:637-40]. Heart transplantation remains the most effective therapy for end-stage heart disease, but the shortage of donors has led to increasing interest in other surgical options, especially ventricular assist devices (VAD). Several VADs are available to bridge patients to transplantation [N Engl J Med 2001;345:1435-43], including pulsatile devices like the HeartMate (HeartMate, Thoratec, Pleasanton, CA) and Novacor (World Heart, Netherlands), and the DeBakey VAD (MicroMed Technology, Inc., Houston, TX), which is an electromagnetically driven implantable titanium axial flow blood pump designed for left ventricular support. Despite technical improvements, VADs still are associated with serious complications. We reporte a successfull case where we replaced a TCI HeartMate with a DeBakey VAD because of a serious pocket infection, deterioration and failure of the inflow valve.
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Niguarda Hospital, P.zza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20100 Milan, Italy.
Claudio F
CF
Russo
Pasquale A
PA
Fratto
Filippo
F
Milazzo
Ettore
E
Vitali