Implantation of HeartMate III ventricular assist devices in children after surgical treatment of complex congenital heart defect: first experience

Abstract

Background. There is quite a high number of patients with advanced heart failure (HF) who have undergone surgical treatment for complex congenital heart defects. Implantation of mechanical circulatory support systems is the only treatment option for patients with refractory end-stage heart failure. Only a few centers have experience in implantation of ventricular assist devices (VAD) in children, which is a major challenge for modern pediatric cardiac surgery. Objective: to present our first experience of implantation of HeartMate III VADs in patients after surgical correction of complex congenital heart defects. Materials and methods. From 2021 to 2022, at Bakulev Center for Cardiovascular Surgery, four HeartMate III systems were implanted in children with advanced HF, who had previously undergone surgery for a complex congenital heart defect. In one case, aortic valve implantation was carried out simultaneously with VAD implantation. Results. All patients were discharged from the center. One patient developed right-sided heart failure intraoperatively, which required the use of a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) for 8 days. There were no complications from the central nervous system, bleeding, pump thrombosis, or infection. Conclusion. HeartMate III can be implanted in patients with body weight ≥21 kg and BSA ≥0.88 m2 . Children’s tolerance to physical activity increases, they are fully adapted socially, and can attend school.