title: Current status of mechanical circulatory support: a systematic review.
abstract: Heart failure is a major public health problem and its management requires a significant amount of health care resources. Even with administration of the best available medical treatment, the mortality associated with the disease remains high. As therapeutical strategies for heart failure have been refined, the number of patients suffering from the disease has expanded dramatically. Although heart transplantation still represents the gold standard therapeutical approach, the implantation of mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSDs) evolved to a well-established management for this disease. The limited applicability of heart transplantation caused by a shortage of donor organs and the concurrent expand of the patient population with end-stage heart failure led to a considerable utilization of MCSDs. This paper outlines the current status of mechanical circulatory support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Larissa University Hospital, P.O. Box 1425, 411 10 Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Kyriakos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulos
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giamouzis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karayannis
authors.forename: Dimos
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karangelis
authors.forename: Stelios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koutsias
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalogeropoulos
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Georgiopoulou
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skoularigis
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Filippos
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Triposkiadis