OBJECTIVE It has been demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) induces cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Apoptosis has been elucidated as playing an important role as one of the mechanisms of myocardial disorders. However, it is not known whether mechanical support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) influence cardiomyocyte apoptos...

Many clinicians caring for patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVAD) use ramp right heart catheterization (RHC) studies to optimize pump speed and also to troubleshoot CF-LVAD malfunction. An investigational device, the ReliantHeart Heart Assist 5 (Houston, TX), provides the added benefit of an ultrasonic flow probe on the outflow graft that directly measures flow ...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic congestive heart failure posses a significant risk of morbidity and death after heart transplantation. Isolated observations suggest that chronic ventricular unloading may lead to normalization of pulmonary pressures and thus render a patient likely to be a heart transplant candidate. METHODS This study is a retrospective analysis of 9...

BACKGROUND Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are being used with increasing frequency to treat severe heart failure. Patients seek out informational resources when considering implantation. The primary study objective was to characterize the scope and quality of available LVAD educational materials. METHODS AND RESULTS In July 2013, we performed a cross-sectional search of Internet, pri...

AIMS There are few non-invasive techniques to predict and monitor patients' responses to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs with intricate roles in cardiovascular disease. They are stable in the circulation, readily quantified, and may be useful as new biomarkers. This study sought to identify candidate miR biomarkers for further investigat...

BACKGROUND Nonsurgical bleeding is the most common adverse event in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and is caused by arteriovenous malformations. We hypothesized that deregulation of an angiogenic factor, angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), in patients with LVADs leads to increased angiogenesis and higher nonsurgical bleeding. METHODS Ang-2 and thrombin levels were m...

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are approved for use in patients in stage D heart failure (HF), either as bridge to transplantation or as permanent (destination) therapy. The optimal timing of LVAD implantation along the continuum of chronic HF is under active investigation. Most patients currently being implanted with LVADs have significant hemodynamic compromise, usually necessitating...

The discrepancy between the number of patients on the waiting list and available donor hearts has led to the successful development of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) as a bridge to transplantation. The conventional LVADs are designed to provide full hemodynamic support for the end-stage failing heart. However, full-support LVAD implantation requires major surgery, sternotomy and cardiop...

Left ventricular (LV) assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly used in everyday clinical practice either as a bridge for end-stage heart failure (HF) patients to heart transplantation or as a permanent (destination) therapy.1,2 Yet, there is still significant uncertainty about the consequences of this intervention both at the level of the detailed myocardial biology (ie, biological outcomes) and...

BACKGROUND Currently, mechanical support is the most promising alternative to cardiac transplantation. Ventricular assist devices (VADs) were originally used to provide mechanical circulatory support in patients awaiting planned heart transplantation ('bridge-to-transplantation' therapy). The success of short-term bridge devices led to clinical trials evaluating the clinical suitability of long...