Experience of Application and Maintenance of Pulsatile Ventricular Assist Devices

摘要

The clinical application of pulsatile ventricular assist devices (VADs) was started by M. DeBakey and D. Cooley in the 1960s. Currently, pulsatile VADs have been partially replaced by rotational pumps, especially for left ventricular support, but they remain in use as long-term biventricular support or as the pulsatile total artificial heart. In our institution 1335 devices of 16 different types were implanted since 1987. Of these systems, 913 were pulsatile. Most pulsatile devices were of type Berlin Heart Excor (n=673), employed in either univentricular or biventricular fashion. Since 1998 implantable rotational pumps (axial and centrifugal) have increasingly been implanted. The advantages are their small size, requiring only a small prepared pump pocket or no pocket, low power consumption, absence of movement inside the pocket, and low infection rate.