Use of the MicroMed®DeBakey VAD®for the treatment of end-stage heart failure

Congestive heart failure poses a serious health risk to millions of Americans. Medical therapy for advanced stages of this condition has offered a minimal benefit and surgical treatment through transplantation is limited by the donor organ shortage. Although left ventricular assist devices may represent the future of therapy for this disease, the first generation of these pumps are limited by a number of factors that restrict their use to only the sickest of patients. The development and clinical use of the MicroMed DeBakey VAD represents a paradigm shift in the field of heart disease, supporting the notion that mechanical assistance can be achieved with continuous flow pumps. Axial flow devices, such as the DeBakey VAD, may open new doors for smaller patients and children, as well as improve the current standard of care for adults who require long-term circulatory support.