Review article

Short-term mechanical circulatory support

Bojan Biočina ; Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Mate Petričević ; Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Heart failure continues to be an ever-growing public health concern. The continued aging of the population has contributed to the increasing incidence and prevalence of heart failure. Mechanical circulatory support is used to treat patients with advanced heart failure. A mechanical pump is surgically implanted to provide pulsatile or non-pulsatile flow of blood to supplement or replace the blood flow generated by the native heart. The main purpose of a mechanical circulatory support is to unload the failing heart and help maintain forward cardiac output and vital organ perfusion. A big variety of devices exists:
from the percutaneous and short-term support, which can be used in the operating room or the cath-lab and afterwards in the intensive or coronary care units, to the internal and long-term devices, which can be used as a bridge-to-recovery or cardiac transplant, or as definitive therapy in patients with contraindication to cardiac transplant. This treatment involves
not only the cardiac surgeons, but also the cardiologists, anaesthesiologists, intensivists and perfusionists. Appropriate patient selection represents the critical determinant of successful outcomes with the VAD therapy. The predictive risk stratification is extremely important for achieving the minimal peri-operative mortality rate. As VAD technology progresses, the collaboration of multidisciplinary teams composed of engineers, scientists, physicians, and nurses will continue to refine the technology and improve patient care and operation outcomes. Advances in device design will allow for an easier implantation
and create smaller, more efficient, durable, and reliable units.

Keywords

ventricular assist device; heart failure; mechanical circulatory support

Hrčak ID:

66340

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/66340

Publication date:

11.3.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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