HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Walter E. Pae, Jr Reiner Körfer Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by El-Banayosy, A. Articles by Körfer, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by El-Banayosy, A. Articles by Körfer, R. Related Collections Mechanical Circulatory Assistance

Ann Thorac Surg 2003;75:1469-1475
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Original article: cardiovascular

Preliminary experience with the LionHeart left ventricular assist device in patients with end-stage heart failure

^a Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart Center North Rhine-Westphalia, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
^b Department of Surgery, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

Accepted for publication June 7, 2002.

^* Address reprint requests to Dr El-Banayosy, Herzzentrum NRW, Klinik für Thorax- und Kardiovaskularchirurgie, Georgstr 11, D-32545 Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
e-mail: abanayosy{at}hdz-nrw.de

BACKGROUND: The Arrow LionHeart LVD 2000 left ventricular assist device is the first fully implantable system designed for destination therapy. We report on 2 years of experience with this device, which we implanted for the first time in October 1999.

METHODS: Since October 1999, 6 male patients between 55 and 69 years of age (mean 65 ± 6 years) have received the device at our center; all were in New York Heart Association functional class IV and ineligible for heart transplantation.

RESULTS: All surgical procedures were uneventful, with a timely extubation in 5 of 6 patients. Duration of support was 17 to 670 (mean 245 ± 138) days, with a cumulative experience of 4.5 years. Three patients recovered to be discharged from hospital under support and are long-term survivors. Three patients died 17, 31, and 112 days after implantation from multiple organ failure without being discharged to their homes. The survival rate is 50% after 18 months. There were no major system-related problems or any device-related infections, which are otherwise commonly found among vertricular assist device patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary experience demonstrates the reliability and efficacy of the different parts of the system. Nevertheless, further sophistication is needed to reduce the size of its components, which so far still constitutes a limiting factor.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Hansky, J. Vogt, A. Zittermann, H. Guldner, J. Heintze, U. Schulz, D. Horstkotte, G. Tenderich, and R. Korfer Cardiac resynchronization therapy: long-term alternative to cardiac transplantation? Ann. Thorac. Surg., February 1, 2009; 87(2): 432 - 438. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. F. Padera Jr. and F. J. Schoen Pathology of Cardiac Surgery Card. Surg. Adult, January 1, 2008; 3(2008): 111 - 178. [Full Text]

				S. Aggarwal, F. Cheema, M. C. Oz, and Y. Naka Long-Term Mechanical Circulatory Support Card. Surg. Adult, January 1, 2008; 3(2008): 1609 - 1628. [Full Text]