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Artificial Hearts and Cardiac Assist Devices: The Spectrum of the New Era

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Technological Advances in Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care

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Abstract

Heart failure is a leading cause of death in developed nations, despite improvements in medical management strategies and quality of care. As an alternative to heart transplantation, the recent technical advancements and success of mechanical circulatory support devices have made them a viable therapeutic option. The transition of left ventricular assist devices from large pulsatile pumps to extremely compact, more reliable continuous-flow devices has been a major achievement. Initially employed as a bridge to transplantation, mechanical circulatory support was solely used to keep patients on the transplant waiting list alive until another therapy could be offered or a donor heart became available. These days, however, an increasing number of patients with end-stage heart failure are being placed on long-term ventricular support as “destination therapy,” with much improved survival rates. Despite the significant technological and therapeutic advances that have been achieved, issues with mechanical circulatory support continue to arise, and they remain the focus of increasingly sophisticated research in device development. Investigators are sharing insights into the physiological characteristics of mechanical circulation, and newer device technologies are continually emerging. This chapter aims to provide a broad perspective on the evolving state of the art regarding ventricular assist device and artificial heart technology and on the effects these newer methods are having on current clinical patterns, post-implant outcomes, and device-related technical complications in patients with various modern implantable total artificial hearts and continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Jamshid H. Karimov M.D., Ph.D. & Kiyotaka Fukamachi M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Nader Moazami M.D.

Authors
  1. Jamshid H. Karimov M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Nader Moazami M.D.
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  3. Kiyotaka Fukamachi M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kiyotaka Fukamachi M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Rifat Latifi

  2. Department of Surgery, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Peter Rhee

  3. Department of Surgery, Professor of Surgery, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Rainer W.G. Gruessner

Abbreviations

Abbreviations

AC:

Alternating current

BiVAD:

Biventricular assist device

BTT:

Bridge to transplant

CF:

Continuous flow

DC:

Direct current

DT:

Destination therapy

HF:

Heart failure

LVAD:

Left ventricular assist device

MCS:

Mechanical circulatory support

RV:

Right ventricle

RVAD:

Right ventricular assist device

TAH:

Total artificial heart

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Karimov, J.H., Moazami, N., Fukamachi, K. (2015). Artificial Hearts and Cardiac Assist Devices: The Spectrum of the New Era. In: Latifi, R., Rhee, P., Gruessner, R. (eds) Technological Advances in Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2671-8_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2671-8_26

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2670-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2671-8

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