title: Minimally-invasive LVAD Implantation: State of the Art.
abstract: Nowadays, the worldwide number of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) being implanted per year is higher than the number of cardiac transplantations. The rapid developments in the field of mechanical support are characterized by continuous miniaturization and enhanced performance of the pumps, providing increased device durability and a prolonged survival of the patients. The miniaturization process enabled minimally-invasive implantation methods, which are associated with generally benefitting the overall outcome of patients. Therefore, these new implantation strategies are considered the novel state of the art in LVAD surgery. In this paper we provide a comprehensive review on the existing literature on minimally-invasive techniques with an emphasis on the different implantation approaches and their individual surgical challenges.
authors.forename: Jasmin S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hanke
authors.forename: Sebastian V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Avsar
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haverich
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular, Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str.1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. schmitto.jan@mh-hannover.de.
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Schmitto
mesh_terms: D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D016896:Treatment Outcome