Exercise Hemodynamics as a Predictor of Myocardial Recovery in LVAD Patients

Clinical myocardial recovery in advanced heart failure with long term left ventricular assist device support

Left ventricular assist-device (LVAD) implantation is a life-saving therapy for patients with advanced heart failure (HF). With chronic unloading and circulatory support, LVAD-supported hearts often show significant reverse remodeling at the structural, cellular and molecular level. However, translation of these changes into meaningful cardiac recovery allowing LVAD explant is lagging. Part of the reason for this discrepancy is lack of anticipation and hence promotion and evaluation for recovery post LVAD implant. There is additional uncertainty about the long-term course of HF following LVAD explant. In selected patients, however, guided by the etiology of HF, duration of disease and other clinical factors, significant functional improvement and LVAD explantation with long-term freedom from recurrent HF events has been demonstrated to be feasible in a reproducible manner. The identified predictors of myocardial recovery suggest that the elective therapeutic use of potentially less invasive VADs for reversal of HF earlier in the disease process is a future goal that warrants further investigation. Hence, it is prudent to develop and implement tools to predict HF reversibility prior to LVAD implant, optimize unloading-promoted recovery with guideline directed medical therapy and monitor for myocardial improvement. This review article summarizes the clinical aspects of myocardial recovery and together with its companion review article focused on the biological aspects of recovery, they aim to provide a useful framework for clinicians and investigators.

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing With Echocardiography to Assess Recovery in Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices

The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is an established treatment for select patients with end-stage heart failure. Some patients recovered and are considered for explantation. Assessing recovery involves exercise testing and echo ramping on full and minimal LVAD support. Combined cardiopulmonary exercise testing with simultaneous echo ramping (CPET-R) has not been well studied. Patients were included if they had CPET within the previous 6 months, were clinically stable, and had an INR >2.0 on the day of examination. Patients had CPET-R on two occasions within 14 days: (a) with LVAD at therapeutic speed and (b) with LVAD at the lowest speed possible. Six patients were between 29 and 75 years (two female). One patient did not complete a turn-down test due to evidence of ischemia on initial CPET-R subsequently confirmed as a significant coronary artery stenosis on angiography. There were no significant differences in CPET or echo metrics between LVAD speeds. Two patients were explanted due to presumed LV recovery and remained event free for 30 and 47 months, respectively. Serial CPET-R seems safe and feasible for the evaluation of LV and global function and may result in improved clinical decision making for LVAD explantation.

Review and reflections about pulsatile ventricular assist devices from history to future: concerning safety and low haemolysis-still needed

Since the first use of a ventricular assist device in 1963 many extracorporeal and implantable pulsatile blood pumps have been developed. After the invention of continuous flow blood pumps the implantable pulsatile pumps are not available anymore. The new rotary pumps spend a better quality of life because many of the patients can go home. Nevertheless, the extracorporeal pulsatile pumps have some advantages. They are low-cost systems, produce less haemolysis and heart-recovery can be tested easily. Pump failure is easy to realize because the pumps can be observed visually. Pump exchange can be done easily without any chirurgic surgery. As volume displacement pumps they can produce high blood pressure, so they are the only ones suitable for pediatric patients. Therefore, they are indispensable for clinical use today and in the future. In this work, nearly all pulsatile blood pumps used in clinical life are described.

2019 EACTS Expert Consensus on long-term mechanical circulatory support

Long-term mechanical circulatory support (LT-MCS) is an important treatment modality for patients with severe heart failure. Different devices are available, and many-sometimes contradictory-observations regarding patient selection, surgical techniques, perioperative management and follow-up have been published. With the growing expertise in this field, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) recognized a need for a structured multidisciplinary consensus about the approach to patients with LT-MCS. However, the evidence published so far is insufficient to allow for generation of meaningful guidelines complying with EACTS requirements. Instead, the EACTS presents an expert opinion in the LT-MCS field. This expert opinion addresses patient evaluation and preoperative optimization as well as management of cardiac and non-cardiac comorbidities. Further, extensive operative implantation techniques are summarized and evaluated by leading experts, depending on both patient characteristics and device selection. The faculty recognized that postoperative management is multidisciplinary and includes aspects of intensive care unit stay, rehabilitation, ambulatory care, myocardial recovery and end-of-life care and mirrored this fact in this paper. Additionally, the opinions of experts on diagnosis and management of adverse events including bleeding, cerebrovascular accidents and device malfunction are presented. In this expert consensus, the evidence for the complete management from patient selection to end-of-life care is carefully reviewed with the aim of guiding clinicians in optimizing management of patients considered for or supported by an LT-MCS device.