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Published on: July 18, 2014
Deactivation of LVAD support for myocardial recovery-surgical perspectives
Ian Nickel1, Evgenij Potapov2, Benjamin Sun3
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Abstract:
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are excellent therapies for advanced heart failure patients either bridged to transplant or for lifetime use. LVADs also allow for reverse remodeling of the failing heart that is often associated with functional improvement. Indeed, growing enthusiasm exists to better understand this population of patients, whereby the LVAD is used as an adjunct to mediate myocardial recovery. When patients achieve benchmarks suggesting that they no longer need LVAD support, questions related to the discontinuation of LVAD therapy become front and center. The purpose of this review is to provide a surgical perspective on the practical and technical issues surrounding LVAD deactivation.
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