Cardiowest Total Artificial Heart as an Excellent Bridge to Cardiac Transplantation.

Abstract

987 We reviewed our experience with Cardiowest total artificial heart (TAH) which served as an effective bridge to cardiac transplantation (CT) in selected patients with terminal heart failure (who usually required this form of mechanical circulatory assistance because their right ventricular function was too poor to permit isolated left ventricular assist device therapy). Between 7/94 and 3/98 we implanted 13 TAHs in patients who were Status I awaiting CT (Group I). We compared these patients to the other 103 patients, who were not as ill prior to CT, who were successfully transplanted without need for any other mechanical circulatory assist device (Group II). (Table)TableConclusions: One and two year survival in patients with Cardiowest TAH support before HT (Group I) was better than without it (Group II). Patients bridged to HT with Cardiowest TAH had not only excellent survival, but also had considerably less allograft rejections. In patients fortunate enough to have received eventual HT, the use of Cardiowest TAH was a very effective bridge to HT, despite the high hospital charges associated with additional surgery and longer hospitalization. *p<0.01