Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) insertion has been used more frequently within the recent years either as a bridge to transplant or as destination therapy in patients with advanced heart failure who fail medical therapy. We present a report of a 60-year-old male patient with end-stage heart failure and cardiomyopathy with a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who under...

MOTIVATION Heart failure affects more than 20 million people in the world. Heart transplantation is the most effective therapy, but the number of eligible patients far outweighs the number of available donor hearts. The left mechanical ventricular assist device (LVAD) has been developed as a successful substitution therapy that aids the failing ventricle while a patient is waiting for the donor...

BACKGROUND Support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) induces LV reverse structural and functional remodeling, evidenced by normalization of passive end-diastolic pressure-volume relationships (EDPVRs) and cardiomyocyte function. These changes are not evident in the right ventricle (RV), which remains dilated during LVAD support. However, studies on whether RV reverse remodeling could...

BACKGROUND The therapeutic options for heart failure include inotropic agents, intraaortic balloon pumps, and left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). Implantable LVADs are not appropriate for all patients. The short-term devices require patients to stay in bed, connected to cannulas, which are usually inserted using a median sternotomy. This approach requires a subsequent sternotomy, midline ca...

BACKGROUND Autophagy is a molecular process that breaks down damaged cellular organelles and yields amino acids for de novo protein synthesis or energy provision. Mechanical unloading with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) decreases the energy demand of the failing human heart. We tested the hypothesis that LVAD support reverses activation of autophagy. METHODS AND RESULTS Paired biopsy...

An increasing number of patients have a coexisting implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to treat ventricular arrhythmias and refractory heart failure, respectively. To date, there have been no published reports of negative interactions between these devices that have impacted appropriate ICD or LVAD function. In this case report, we describe a p...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this health technology policy assessment was to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using implantable ventricular assist devices in the treatment of end-stage heart failure. HEART FAILURE Heart failure is a complex syndrome that impairs the ability of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation, resulting in multiorgan abnormalities and, event...

OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that some aspects of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) reverse remodeling could be independent of hemodynamic factors and would primarily depend upon normalization of neurohormonal milieu. BACKGROUND The relative contributions of LVAD-induced hemodynamic unloading (provided to the left ventricle [LV]) and normalized neurohormonal milieu (provided to LV and right...

The present study defined the short- and long-term effects of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and heart transplantation (HT) on physical activity and quality of life (QoL). Forty patients (LVAD, n = 14; HT, n = 12; and heart failure [HF], n = 14) and 14 matched healthy subjects were assessed for physical activity, energy expenditure, and QoL. The LVAD and HT groups were asses...

BACKGROUND After left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement for advanced heart failure, increased cerebral perfusion should result in improved cognitive function. However, stroke (a well-known LVAD complication) and subclinical cerebral ischemia may result in transient or permanent cognitive decline. We sought to describe the incidence and predictors of cognitive decline after LVAD using a...