title: Advances and future directions for mechanical circulatory support.
abstract: Although cardiac transplant remains the gold standard for the treatment of end-stage heart failure, limited donor organ availability and growing numbers of eligible recipients have increased the demand for alternative therapies. Limitations of first-generation left ventricular assist devices for long-term support of patients with end-stage disease have led to the development of newer second-generation and third-generation pumps, which are smaller, have fewer moving parts, and have shown improved durability, allowing for extended support. The HeartMate II (second generation) and HeartWare (third generation) are 2 devices that have shown great promise as potential alternatives to transplantation in select patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, J4-331, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. capdevm@ccf.org
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capdeville
authors.forename: Nicholas G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Smedira
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D018570:Risk Assessment