Cor Vasa 2003, 44(9):437-443
Mechanical circulatory assist devices
- Klinika kardiologie, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika
The paper provides an overview of mechanic heart and circulatory assist devices. It is in connection with the first-ever use of a mechanical heart assist device in the Czech Republic in the spring of 2003 that the article provides a review of this not quite usual therapeutic procedure to a broader audience. The paper features a brief summary of the indications, a history of individual devices, and a description of the basic mechanical assist devices from the simplest to the total artificial heart, while pointing to the accompanying complications and the costs incurred in relation with implementation of this program.
Keywords: Heart failure; Mechanical heart assist device; Heart transplantation
Published: September 1, 2003 Show citation