[Current success and risks of mechanichal circulatory support]

The growing number of patients suffering from severe congestive heart failure (HF) worldwide still means a challenge for the therapeutic options, mainly in the older population. According to the rapid development in the possibilities for mechanical circulatory support (MCS), the increasing use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as bridge to transplantation (BTT) or destination therapy (DT) reflects a change in the up-to-date therapy of HF. This article gives a broad overview concerning indications, patient selection, choice of the device and mainly a study update. It is clearly shown, that VAD therapy has become an effective tool in the treatment of HF, and that the modern continuous flow pumps have replaced the older, bulky, pulsatile devices, especially in the LVAD sector.