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Ventricular Assist Device Support in Children

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Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Abstract

There has been much recent interest in the application of ventricular assist devices in children with end-stage heart failure. Though extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has long been the mainstay for such patients in North America, ventricular assist devices have many potential advantages for these kids. The increasing success of the Berlin Heart ventricular assist device in Europe has spawned significantly increased use of this device in North America over the past decade. Active research is now ongoing to further develop and refine pediatric pumps. This chapter reviews preoperative and postoperative considerations, with respect to the pediatric population undergoing insertion of a ventricular assist device, reviews current and future technology, and briefly presents the recent experience with the Berlin Heart at Saint Louis Children’s Hospital.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Suite AB307, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4, Canada

    Sanjiv K. Gandhi MD

  2. Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, One Children’s Place, Suite 5s50, St. Louis, 63110, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Deirdre J. Epstein BSN

Authors
  1. Sanjiv K. Gandhi MD
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  2. Deirdre J. Epstein BSN
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sanjiv K. Gandhi MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Derek S. Wheeler

  2. Div. of Critical Care Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Hector R. Wong

  3. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Thomas P. Shanley

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Gandhi, S.K., Epstein, D.J. (2014). Ventricular Assist Device Support in Children. In: Wheeler, D., Wong, H., Shanley, T. (eds) Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6356-5_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6356-5_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-6355-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-6356-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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