(Left Ventricular Assist Device) Failure Analysis of LVAD

The LVADs (or left ventricular support devices) are becoming a more viable treatment as an option for heart failure, either as a DT (permanent designation) therapy or a BTT (bridge to heart transplantation). The former is becoming more common in recent years, owing to a scarcity of donated organs and an increase in elderly patients who are unavailable for heart transplants. However, significant advancements in LVAD science continue to enhance both the long-term efficiency and results of life. Furthermore, it involves the emergence of CF-LVADs (continuous-flow devices), which are more stable and smaller than older pulsatile versions. In fact, the increase in the average duration of the mechanical long-term’s support makes the durability of the device (as measured by the device’s rate of failure over a given period of time) to become an increasingly core contributor for the survival of patients, overall life’s quality, and morbidity. Note that the failure of the device can be fatal in the most severe cases. However, the subsequent requirement for the replacement of pumps, in other circumstances, may incur additional costs of healthcare. Such scenario may also result in the exposure of the patients to potentially complications that are very serious such as bleeding and thrombosis. Despite some remarkable improvements in the CF-LVADs’ durability, continuing device failure’s causes involves the mechanical problems like the percutaneous lead damage and the drive unit failure, as well as other conditions such as device hemolysis, thrombosis, and other related infections.

For this reason, the current systematic review mainly aims at assessing the present CF-LVADs’ long-term durability as defined by both the death that relates to the failure of pump and the rates of the device exchange, and also the evaluation of the some of the major causes of the failure of the device. In this case, some of the secondary endpoints require long-term survival without replacing the device. Heart transplant acts as the optimal treatment for the patients having advanced failure of the heart, however, the option is mainly dependent on the donor hearts’ supply. In such a case, the use of various medical interventions becomes significant for the individuals that awaits a donor organ. Note that the medical interventions include intravenous inotropes. Other alternative strategy of treatment, that in most cases referred to as BTT (bridge to transplant, is for surgical implantation of a left ventricular assist device.

A LVAD refers to a mechanical pump that helps in supporting a left ventricle function up to the time the heart of donor becomes available. In this paper, the causes of the failure of the LVAD are discussed. Moreover, effects and the way of fixing each of such causes of the failure of LVAD are also discussed.

Causes of LVAD Failure

Effects of LVAD Failure

Some of the Ways of Fixing the Failures

Works Cited