LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICES

Course overview

HEART FAILURE (HF) IS A FREQUENT CAUSE OF INPATIENT ADMISSIONS. THE FRAMINGHAM STUDY IN 1993 DESCRIBED THE RISK FACTORS FOR HEART FAILURE AND SHOWED UNACCEPTABLY HIGH FIVE-YEAR MORTALITY RATES OF 25% IN MEN AND 38% IN WOMEN. THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION REPORTED THE PREVALENCE OF HF TO BE 5.1 MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2006. THE WORLDWIDE PREVALENCE HAS BEEN ESTIMATED TO BE 23 MILLION. HF CAN BE CATEGORIZED BASED ON THE LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF) INTO SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC HF. THE FORMER GROUP INCLUDES PATIENTS WITH LVEF LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 40%, ALSO TERMED HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION (HFREF). HEART FAILURE WITH PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION (HFPEF) INCLUDES THOSE WITH LVEF GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 40%. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ROLE OF LVADS, THEIR INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE CARDIAC DISEASE.