Novel devices for managing heart failure

Abstract

Purpose of review: Despite advances in heart failure (HF) therapies, the associated morbidity, mortality, hospitalization rates, and healthcare expenditures remain high. A significant proportion of patients with HF remain symptomatic despite receiving optimal medical therapy. Consequently, there exists a large unmet clinical need for novel therapies for treating acute and chronic HF. With the exponential growth of transcatheter interventions in structural heart disease, novel applications of minimally invasive, device-based therapies have been sought in an effort to bridge this treatment gap. The rationale, development, and current data underscoring these therapies will be summarized in this review.

Recent findings: Recent studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of devices that alter left ventricular geometry (i.e., ventriculoplasty), create anatomic shunts to decompress the left atrium, and modulate vena caval and renal blood flow. However pivotal large trials evaluating clinical outcomes are ongoing.

Summary: Innovative device-based therapies may expand our armamentarium against the growing heterogeneous and morbid HF syndrome.