Ventricular Assist Devices : Advances and Applications in Heart Failure

Abstract

The heart pumps blood throughout our bodies and provides the oxygen and nutrients essential for life. There is a growing pandemic of heart failure despite advances in current diagnostics and treatments and improvements in heart transplantation. Improvements in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices have resulted in an exceptional increase in post-implantation survival rates in patients with advanced heart failure. Ventricular assist devices (VADs) can be implanted in patients with heart failure as a bridge to recovery that will help the failing heart to recover and pump blood effectively on its own, as a bridge to a heart transplant, or as a destination therapy with permanently implanted MCS devices. This book covers the history and recent advances and applications of VADs, important aspects of the management of risks and complications of circulatory support therapies, and myocardial remodeling that occurs during ventricular unloading.