Mechanical ventricular support lowers pulmonary vascular resistance in a patient with congential heart disease

Ann Thorac Surg. 2003 Mar;75(3):1005-7. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4975(02)04372-2.

Abstract

Severely elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is a relative contraindication to orthotopic heart transplantation. A potential novel strategy to reverse elevated PVR may be implantation of a chronic left ventricular assist device with subsequent left ventricular unloading. We present a patient with elevated PVR secondary to congenital heart disease who was listed for heart-lung transplant. The patient underwent placement of biventricular assist devices and subsequently experienced marked reduction of PVR, ultimately enabling successful heart transplantation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cardiac Catheterization
  • Contraindications
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Heart Failure / physiopathology
  • Heart Failure / surgery
  • Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / physiopathology
  • Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / surgery*
  • Heart Transplantation*
  • Heart-Assist Devices*
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / physiopathology
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / surgery*
  • Male
  • Postoperative Complications / physiopathology
  • Postoperative Complications / surgery
  • Pulmonary Artery / physiopathology*
  • Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / physiology*
  • Reoperation / methods
  • Transposition of Great Vessels / physiopathology
  • Transposition of Great Vessels / surgery*
  • Vascular Resistance / physiology*