Update on Mechanical Circulatory Support in Heart Failure
At present the gold standard of long term heart replacement remains heart transplantation, but the number of heart transplants performed is limited by donor organ availability. Research in genetic engineering and xeno-transplantation, using transgenic animals as donors, has progressed considerably but not yet to the stage of clinical trials. Although much progress has been made in the understanding of stem cell biology in heart failure, the field is still in its infancy. Therefore, there has been great interest in the development of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as lifelong support for end-stage chronic heart failure.
Ventricular Assist Devices as Long Term Cardiac Replacement Therapy
At present the gold standard of long term heart replacement remains heart transplantation, but the number of heart transplants performed is limited by donor organ availability. Research in genetic engineering and xeno-transplantation, using transgenic animals as donors, has progressed considerably but not yet to the stage of clinical trials. Although much progress has been made in the understanding of stem cell biology in heart failure, the field is still in its infancy. Therefore, there has been great interest in the development of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as lifelong support for end-stage chronic heart failure.