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Clinical Total Artificial Heart Bridging: Viennese Strategy and Experiences
Author(s) -
Trubel Wolfgang,
Schima Heinrich,
Rokitansky Alexander,
Müller Michael R.,
Losert Udo,
Wolner Ernst
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
artificial organs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.684
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1525-1594
pISSN - 0160-564X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-1594.1989.tb01560.x
Subject(s) - bridging (networking) , medicine , artificial heart , cardiogenic shock , heart transplantation , surgery , transplantation , cardiology , clinical practice , myocardial infarction , nursing , computer network , computer science
Worldwide the clinical use of total artificial hearts (TAH) for bridging the time until heart transplantation (HTX) has become part of HTX programs. At our clinic, TAH bridging has been performed in five deteriorating HTX candidates since 1986. Four patients suffered from dilative CMP and one patient from a large anterior wall infarction. Three times the ellipsoid heart and twice the Berlin TAH were implanted. After TAH implantation, the conditions of all patients improved. The accompanying dysfunctions of kidneys and other vital organs, which were due to cardiogenic shock, could be restored in the three patients who underwent subsequent HTX. Bridging periods lasted from 9 to 13 days. Two patients, however, could not be transplanted because of infection. Although three patients could be bridged until transplantation and were in good clinical conditions, the longest survival following two‐stage HTX was 40 days. In the future, complications like infection, bleeding, and transplant rejection have to be prevented to improve the long‐term results of Viennese TAH bridging.