Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Use of Two Intracorporeal Ventricular Assist Devices As a Total Artificial Heart
Published on: May 11, 2018
Contemporary use of ventricular assist devices
Cesare M Terracciano1, Leslie W Miller, Magdi H Yacoub
1Harefield Heart Science Centre, Imperial College London, Harefield, Middlesex UB9 6JH, UK.
Abstract:
The introduction of the heart lung machine more than 50 years ago proved in principle that heart function can be replaced, albeit for short periods. This was followed by attempts to produce total or partial artificial hearts that could function for prolonged periods of time. Progress in this field has been intermittent but has accelerated considerably in the past 10 years, with ventricular assist devices (VADs) reaching an impressive degree of sophistication and complexity owing to the contributions from clinicians, engineers, scientists, industrialists, and others. This review describes the currently available types of VADs, their current clinical use, the patient selection process, the trend toward use of VADs in patients with less severe heart failure, and the use of VADs for myocardial recovery in combination with novel pharmacological strategies, gene therapy, and cell therapy.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
Mechanical Ventilation II: Invasive Ventilation
Negative-Pressure Ventilators
Negative-pressure ventilators create a vacuum around the chest or body to draw air into the lungs, simulating breathing. This method does not require an...
Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
Mechanical Ventilation I: Indication and Settings
Mechanical Ventilation III: Noninvasive Ventilation
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV)
Ventilatory Modes
There are three ventilatory modes: full support, partial support, and spontaneous. These are described below.
Full Support Modes
Full support modes include controlled mechanical ventilation, continuous mandatory...
