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Updated: Jul 5, 2025
Insertion, Maintenance, and Removal of the Percutaneous Dual Lumen Cannula Right Ventricular Assist Device
Published on: July 20, 2022
Extended and Safe Support with the CentriMag® Temporary Ventricular Assist Device Implanted with Skirted-Cannula
Chan-Yang Hsu1, I-Shiang Tzeng2, Jenn-Yeu Song1
1Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery.
Objectives:
CentriMag® (Abbott, Pleasanton, CA, USA) is indicated for temporary circulatory support for up to 30 days. Extended support is not uncommon, and the results vary considerably. Herein, we review our experience on extended support.
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed 19 patients supported with CentriMag as a bridge to recovery, long-term ventricular assist device or transplantation from September 2011 to October 2021.
Results:
Nineteen patients (16 men and 3 women; mean age 51.7 ± 9.2 years) had CentriMag left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation with the skirted-cannula technique. Twelve (63.2%), 6 (31.6%), and 1 (5.3%) patient were in INTERMACS 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The aims of support were bridge-to-decision in 3 patients (15.8%), and bridge-to-transplantation in 16 patients (84.2%). Fourteen patients were supported for longer than 30 days, while 5 patients had their CentriMag removed before 30 days. Of the 5 patients supported for less than 30 days, 3 died early after implantation due to complications of prolonged shock. The other 2 patients were successfully transplanted. Among the 14 patients supported for longer than 30 days, 1 patient died after transplantation and 13 patients survived either after transplantation or weaning off CentriMag. The overall 1-year survival rate was 73.7%. The duration of support for all patients ranged from 6 to 191 days (64 ± 61 days; median 41 days).
Conclusions:
The skirted cannula technique for apical cannulation in implantation of CentriMag LVAD is an easy, safe and durable technique. Immediate post-operative and long-term complications are not common. Its use over 30 days is associated with acceptable survival.
