Percutaneous mechanical cardiac assist in myocardial infarction. Where are we now, where are we going?

Since its first clinical application in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) in 1968, the intra aortic balloon pump (IABP) increasingly has been used for several clinical conditions requiring mechanical cardiac assistance. In current practice, IABP therapy is still the most accessible and most frequently used method of mechanical cardiac assistance. It is primarily being used as a therapeutic instrument for hemodynamic stabilization in left ventricular failure and cardiogenic shock, mainly in patients with myocardial infarction. Although IABP therapy showed to be effective for stabilization of hemodynamically compromised patients, it has failed to show any long-term survival benefit in any setting of acute myocardial infarction. The rapid developments in ventricular assist device technology have led to the availability of several percutaneous implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). These more potent percutaneous LVADs herald a promising alternative therapeutic approach for mechanical cardiac assistance other than IABP therapy. This article reviews the current status, capabilities, limitations, and future perspectives of currently available percutaneous treatment options for mechanical cardiac assistance in acute myocardial infarction.