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Review
. 2021 Sep 24:15:e16.
doi: 10.15420/usc.2021.11. eCollection 2021.

Heart Transplant and Ventricular Assist: Cardiac Surgery and Heart Failure Perspective

Affiliations
Review

Heart Transplant and Ventricular Assist: Cardiac Surgery and Heart Failure Perspective

Michael T Cain et al. US Cardiol. .

Abstract

For nearly 60 years, there have been two surgical treatment options for individuals with severe advanced heart failure: heart transplantation or implantation of a left ventricular assist device. As these fields have advanced in parallel, improvements in surgical technique, device development, and patient selection have improved outcomes for both therapies. Development of a comprehensive approach to the management of the most severe forms of advanced heart failure requires a deep understanding of both heart transplantation and durable ventricular assistance, including recent advancements in both fields. This article will review the substantial progress in the fields of heart transplantation and mechanical left ventricular assistance, including recent changes to organ allocation prioritization and left ventricular assist device evaluation, both of which have dramatically influenced practice in these fields.

Keywords: Heart transplant; frailty; heart allocation; left ventricular assist device; minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: JCC discloses involvement with Abbott Medical as national co-principal investigator for the MOMENTUM 3 trial and membership on the Clinical Events Committee for ARIES. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Pioneers in Ventricular Assist and Heart Transplantation
Figure 2:
Figure 2:. Surgical Approach to Minimally Invasive HeartWare Centrifugal-flow Ventricular Assist Device System Insertion
Figure 3:
Figure 3:. In Hospital Paradigm Shift for Patients Who May Be Candidates for Heart Transplantation
Figure 4:
Figure 4:. Frailty in the Context of LVAD Insertion

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