Left ventricular assist device outflow graft: alternative sites

Left ventricular assist device implantation combined with hemiarch replacement for severe aortic atherosclerosis

Implantation of the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has emerged as a widely employed therapeutic approach for specifically chosen individuals suffering from severe heart failure. Stroke is a well-known complication of LVAD implantation. Concomitant aortic surgeries in patients requiring LVAD implantation to avoid outflow graft anastomosis to a severe atherosclerotic aorta are unknown. We illustrate a successful LVAD implantation with hemiarch replacement for severe aortic atherosclerosis to decrease the risk of postoperative stroke. A 72-year-old male patient with advanced heart failure has chosen to undergo LVAD treatment. Preoperative examinations detected severe atherosclerosis in the ascending aorta. It was determined that clamping the ascending aorta and directly connecting the outflow graft could increase the risk of stroke after surgery. Therefore, it was decided to replace the diseased ascending aorta entirely. The HeartMate 3 was implanted under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) using right axillary artery cannulation. And moderate hypothermia and bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion were utilized to perform hemiarch replacement. Subsequently, the outflow graft was connected to an artificial ascending aortic graft. The patient did not exhibit any specific complications, such as neurological abnormalities, after the surgery. Based on our observations, it appears that LVAD implantation combined with aortic replacement could be a viable option for specific patients, particularly those who have a perioperative stroke risk due to aortic atherosclerosis.

Minimally invasive versus conventional continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation for heart failure: a meta-analysis

Many studies have reported various minimally invasive techniques for continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation. There is no consensus on whether minimally invasive techniques can bring more benefits for patients compared with the conventional technique, due to the limited number of patients and diverse results in current studies. Our meta-analysis mainly discussed the comparison of minimally invasive and conventional techniques. We searched controlled trials from PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases until Dec 11, 2020. Perioperative and postoperative outcomes were analyzed among 10 included studies. The protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020221532). There were no statistical differences in the 30-day mortality (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.29 to 1.14), 6-month mortality (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.41 to 1.05), neurological dysfunction (OR 1.10; 95% CI 0.69 to 1.76), major infection (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.36 to 1.28), and pump thrombus (OR 1.49; 95% CI 0.63 to 3.52) among the cohorts. Minimally invasive techniques were associated with lower incidences of major bleeding (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.68), severe right heart failure (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.81), and less blood-product utilization (SMD -0.44). Sensitivity analysis suggested that minimally invasive techniques were associated with a lower incidence of respiratory failure (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.96) and shorter mechanical ventilation time (SMD -0.53). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that patients, implanted with a centrifugal pump by minimally invasive techniques, were associated with a shorter length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay (SMD -0.27) and hospital stay (SMD -0.42), and less blood-product utilization (SMD -0.26). In conclusion, minimally invasive techniques can reduce the risks of major bleeding, severe right heart failure, and blood-product utilization, as well as have positive impacts on reducing mechanical ventilation time and the risk of respiratory failure. Minimally invasive centrifugal pump implantation can reduce the length of ICU and hospital stay.

Conventional and alternative sites for left ventricular assist device inflow and outflow cannula placement

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy is a well accepted and effective strategy to treat advanced heart failure. The miniaturized third-generation centrifugal pumps HeartWare HVAD (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) and HeartMate 3 (Abbott, Illinois, USA) are the two most commonly implanted systems in the contemporary era. Their design has allowed clinicians to pioneer several alternate and less invasive implantation techniques to tackle a broad spectrum of clinical scenarios. A brief review and discussion of alternative surgical techniques for both inflow and outflow cannula insertion, in the contemporary LVAD surgery era, are herein reported.

Ventricular assist devices implantation: surgical assessment and technical strategies

Along with the worldwide increase in continuous left ventricular assist device (LVAD) strategy adoption, more and more patients with demanding anatomical and clinical features are currently referred to heart failure (HF) departments for treatment. Thus surgeons have to deal, technically, with re-entry due to previous cardiac surgery procedures, porcelain aorta, peripheral vascular arterial disease, concomitant valvular or septal disease, biventricular failure. New surgical techniques and surgical tools have been developed to offer acceptable postoperative outcomes to all mechanical circulatory support recipients. Several less invasive and/or thoracotomic approaches for surgery combined with various LVAD inflow and outflow graft alternative anastomotic sites for system placement have been reported and described to solve complex clinical scenarios. Surgical techniques have been upgraded with further technical tips to preserve the native anatomy in case of re-entry for heart transplantation, myocardial recovery or device explant. The current continuous-flow miniaturized and intrapericardial devices provide versatility and technical advantages. However, the surgical planning requires a careful multidisciplinary evaluation which must be driven by a dedicated and well-trained Heart Failure team. Biventricular assist device (BVAD) implantation by adoption of the newer radial pumps might be a challenge. However, the results are encouraging thus remaining a valid option. This paper reviews and summarizes LVAD preoperative assessment and current surgical techniques for implantation.

Minimally invasive is the future of left ventricular assist device implantation

There have been many factors that have allowed for progressive improvement in outcomes and lower complication rates. These include the improvement in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technologies, combined with better understanding of patient management, all these. Nowadays the numbers of LVAD implantations exceed the number of annual heart transplants worldwide. Minimally invasive procedures are shown to improve the surgical outcome in both LVAD insertion and replacement. These minimally invasive techniques can be grouped grossly into shifting from on-pump to off-pump implantation, alternative access for implantation other than sternotomy, and a combination of both, which should be the ultimate aim of minimally invasive LVAD implantation. Here we describe the alternative techniques and configurations of minimally invasive and sites of implantation.