scholarly journals LVAD Use in the Treatment of End-Stage Heart Failure

Author(s):  
B. M. Todurov ◽  
H. I. Kovtun ◽  
A. O. Shpachuk ◽  
I. N. Kuzmich ◽  
A. N. Druzhina ◽  
...  

Circulatory failure, developing at a certain stage of the course of most heart diseases, is a progressive process, associated with high morbidity and mortality. The effectiveness of generally accepted conservative and resynchronizing therapy for disease progression is relatively low. Mortality of patients with clinically severe congestive heart failure (CHF) reaches 26-29% within a one year after diagnosis. Thus, heart transplantation is the main option for patients with endstage heart failure. About 5,000 heart transplants are performed annually in the world, with 95% of them occurring in North America and Western Europe. But even in countries with a high level of transplantation activity, donor organs of the required quality are still sorely lacking. In such a situation, the main alternative to transplantation may be the use of artificial heart ventricles usually called as ventricular assist device (VAD). In the long run, VAD therapy can serve as a tool for healing (“bridge to recovery”), as a tool of awaiting of further transplantation (“bridge to transplantation”), or as a destination therapy. The article presents the experience of using VAD (in the form of left ventricular bypass) in five patients with end-stage CHF. In order to replace the function of the heart LV, a miniature implant system for auxiliary blood circulation INCOR VAD (Berlin Heart GmbH, Berlin, Germany) was used. Our experience from 5 cases has successfully demonstrated that the implantation of a system for long-term mechanical support of the heart to patients with progressive heart failure can be an effective method of treatment that can safely extend the waiting time for heart transplantation.

Circulation ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Morawietz ◽  
Marten Szibor ◽  
Winfried Goettsch ◽  
Babett Bartling ◽  
Matthias Barton ◽  
...  

Background —Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are implanted in patients with end-stage heart failure for bridging the time until heart transplantation, resulting in hemodynamic unloading of the failing heart, improved cardiac contractile and mitochondrial function, and reversal of cardiac hypertrophy. It is unknown whether VAD unloading may affect the cardiac endothelin (ET) system, which has been proposed as one of the putative pathomechanisms of heart failure. Methods and Results —With the use of standard-calibrated, competitive reverse-transcription–polymerase chain reaction mRNA expression of components of the ET system was analyzed in left ventricular myocardium from nonfailing donor hearts, from failing hearts without and with ACE inhibitor therapy, and from patients with end-stage heart failure at the time of VAD implantation and 103±15 days after VAD implantation during removal with subsequent heart transplantation. ET receptor A (ET A ) was markedly upregulated in failing human myocardium. This increased ET A expression was not affected by ACE inhibitor treatment but was normalized by VAD unloading. ET A expression before or after VAD implantation did not correlate with duration of VAD implantation or suppression of Pro-ANP mRNA. ET B mRNA expression was unaffected by heart failure or VAD. In contrast, increased ET-converting enzyme-1 mRNA and ET-1 peptide levels in failing myocardium were partially normalized by ACE inhibition but not by VAD unloading. Conclusions —We conclude that VAD implantation normalizes ET A expression in failing human left ventricular myocardium, probably as the result of the beneficial effects of VAD unloading.


Author(s):  
K. V. Rudenko ◽  
O. Yu. Dudnyk ◽  
M. I. Rzhanyi

Today, heart transplantation remains the gold standard of treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). As the number of donors is limited and the risk of intervention is quite high, the key to achieving optimal outcomes and reducing the incidence of complications is the proper selection of patients who meet clearly defined criteria for inclusion in the waiting list for heart transplantation. This review presents the latest knowledge on indications and contraindications for inclusion recipients in the waiting list for heart transplantation, including the latest clinical guidelines of The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) published in 2016. Thus, the absolute indications are dependence on intravenous inotropic and mechanical circulatory support; inoperable heart diseases or a history of volume reducing operations; refractory angina or life-threatening refractory arrhythmias despite maximal drug therapy and/or surgical correction; reduction of maximum oxygen consumption up to <12-14 ml/kg/min when performing the maximum cardiopulmonary exercise test. While including patients in the waiting list for heart transplantation, it should be noted that the low left ventricular ejection fraction <30%, a history of documented NYHA class III-IV HF, low maximum oxygen consumption as the only criterion of terminal HF and poor prognosis for annual survival in HF calculated on prognostic scales are not sufficient indications. Absolute contraindications include a systemic disease with a life expectancy of less than 2 years and irreversible pulmonary hypertension. The current procedure for the distribution of recipients by urgency status for heart transplantation is presented according to the updated recommendations of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) published in 2018 which consists of 6 degrees, compared with the 1999 edition which contained 3 degrees.


GeroScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miklós Fagyas ◽  
Viktor Bánhegyi ◽  
Katalin Úri ◽  
Attila Enyedi ◽  
Erzsébet Lizanecz ◽  
...  

AbstractAngiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is essential for SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry. Here we studied the effects of common comorbidities in severe COVID-19 on ACE2 expression. ACE2 levels (by enzyme activity and ELISA measurements) were determined in human serum, heart and lung samples from patients with hypertension (n = 540), heart transplantation (289) and thoracic surgery (n = 49). Healthy individuals (n = 46) represented the controls. Serum ACE2 activity was increased in hypertensive subjects (132%) and substantially elevated in end-stage heart failure patients (689%) and showed a strong negative correlation with the left ventricular ejection fraction. Serum ACE2 activity was higher in male (147%), overweight (122%), obese (126%) and elderly (115%) hypertensive patients. Primary lung cancer resulted in higher circulating ACE2 activity, without affecting ACE2 levels in the surrounding lung tissue. Male sex resulted in elevated serum ACE2 activities in patients with heart transplantation or thoracic surgery (146% and 150%, respectively). Left ventricular (tissular) ACE2 activity was unaffected by sex and was lower in overweight (67%), obese (62%) and older (73%) patients with end-stage heart failure. There was no correlation between serum and tissular (left ventricular or lung) ACE2 activities. Neither serum nor tissue (left ventricle or lung) ACE2 levels were affected by RAS inhibitory medications. Abandoning of ACEi treatment (non-compliance) resulted in elevated blood pressure without effects on circulating ACE2 activities. ACE2 levels associate with the severity of cardiovascular diseases, suggestive for a role of ACE2 in the pathomechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and providing a potential explanation for the higher mortality of COVID-19 among cardiovascular patients. Abandoning RAS inhibitory medication worsens the cardiovascular status without affecting circulating or tissue ACE2 levels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_P) ◽  
pp. P33-P37
Author(s):  
Marie-Cécile Bories ◽  
Ramzi Abi Akar

Abstract Since the earliest cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection were reported, our care delivery systems have been reorganized and challenged in unprecedent ways, specifically the cardiovascular community. COVID-19 poses a challenge for heart transplantation, affecting donor selection, immunosuppression, and posttransplant management. Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) therapy is currently a viable option for patients with end-stage heart failure as a bridge to heart transplantation or destination therapy. Here, we present a therapeutic strategy for the management of acute HF with Intermacs profiles from 1 to 4, with or without Covid-19 infection, exemplified by serie of patients presenting with severe HF and successfully treated by LVAD therapy during the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and the French national lockdown. This experience has shown that we still have the capacity to provide the right therapy for the right disease to the right patient. LVAD implantation seems to be the treatment of choice for advanced HF due to the lack of healthy donor hearts for cardiac transplantation. Covid or non-Covid context, we have to take care of our patients with end-stage HF the best we can.


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