Circulatory support with paracorporeal pneumatic ventricular assist device (VAD) in infants and children.

OBJECTIVE The feasibility and efficacy of the pneumatic 'Berlin Heart' ventricular assist device (VAD) were evaluated in 14 pediatric patients with profound cardiogenic shock refractory to conventional therapy. METHODS There were two patient groups. Eleven patients, aged 2 weeks 15 years and weighing 3.2-52 kg received a left ventricular assist device or a biventricular assist device as a bridge to cardiac transplantation (bridge group). Nine of them had liver, kidney, or lung dysfunction before device implantation. Three patients were supported with a biventricular assist device for myocardial recovery (recovery group): a 6-month-old girl for postcardiotomy shock, a 10-month-old girl for allograft failure after cardiac transplantation, and a 4-year-old boy with acute myocarditis. RESULTS In the bridge group, eight patients were transplanted after a bridge duration of 6-98 days (mean, 32 days) with five long-term survivors. Organ functions were normalized during bridging in all of the transplant recipients. In the recovery group, the first patient was removed from support after 2 days because of irreversible brain damage. The second patient was weaned from biventricular support after 8 days, but suffered from recurrent allograft failure. The third patient received biventricular support for 21 days followed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and was subsequently discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS The 'Berlin Heart' VAD can keep selected infants and children with life-threatening heart failure for weeks or months.