[Mechanical circulatory supports. Advanced stage of heart failure]

Heart failure is considering one of the most prevalent diseases in recent years. Despite advances in the treatment with new drugs and devices such as implantable defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy, the progression in heart failure leads to deterioration in the quality of life, frequent hospitalizations and high mortality rates. Advanced stage of this disease remains heart transplantation for treatment choice, although is not the adequate therapy for all the patients. Many of them require support with inotropic drugs, which lead to a progressive deterioration and limited survival, because waiting times are prolonged or transplantation is not performed. Therefore, progress in circulatory support devices allow to consider these as the treatment while awaiting transplantation and an alternative when the transplant is not considered an option. It is our objective to review the progress and the usefulness of circulatory support devices in patients with advanced heart failure, in which the last option is heart transplantation.