Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD)

• Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD)

  • 2 types:
  • pulsatile
  • apulsatile
  • implanted into the apex of the heart heading towards the left ventricle
  • blood enters the heart and drains into the pump and pumps the blood back into the aorta
  • the device is quite heavy
  • apulsatile are continuous rather than pulsating, where there is a rotating device instead of a pump, therefore blood is continuously being sent to the heart - you will not feel a pulse or detect a blood pressure in apulsatile pts, so need to find another way of measuring exercise intensity in these pts

  
• Indications for VAD use:

  • immediately post cardiotomy or other cardiac surgery (short term device)
  • bride to transplantation (for people on an organ waiting list, to buy them more time)
  • bridge to recovery (to help rest the heart in cardiac pts)
  • destination therapy (for people not on an organ waiting list, so are managed with VAD)