Successful use of a custom-made paracorporeal total artificial heart as a bridge to retransplantation in adult and adolescent patients.
Because the currently available total artificial hearts are rather bulky, the use of a custom-made paracorporeal total artificial heart constructed with 2 ventricular assist devices is an alternative for children and adults with small stature. This article reports our experience using this system in an adult and a pediatric patient. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique are discussed.
Ricci
Marco
M
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Holtz Children's Hospital/Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Panos
Anthony L
AL
Andreopoulos
Fotios M
FM
Rusconi
Paolo
P
Rosenkranz
Eliot
E
Barron
Michael
M
Pham
Si M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006354:Heart, Artificial; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D012086:Reoperation