Ventricular assist device implantation in adults with a systemic right ventricle - A single center experience and review of the literature

Patients with a systemic right ventricle (sRV) have a high risk of developing heart failure (HF), with heart transplantation as the only long-term treatment option. Unfortunately, more than half of sRV patients have pulmonary hypertension (PH) which may impact the decision to opt for heart-only transplantation. Moreover, an increased scarcity of donor hearts prolongs time to transplantation, increasing the probability of dying on the waiting list. Hence, for selected sRV patients, a ventricular assist device (VAD) could provide a solution to bridge the time to transplantation. This case series aimed at evaluating all patients with a sRV who received a VAD at our institution, with a focus on technical aspects of VAD implantation and invasive hemodynamics prior to VAD implantation and after heart transplantation. In total 5 patients with a sRV who received a VAD at our institution were included. All five were male with a median age of 38 years (19–49) at the time of VAD implantation. All patients were subsequently successfully transplanted. Pulmonary artery (PA) pressures were significantly elevated prior to VAD implantation and decreased significantly after VAD implantation and subsequent heart transplantation. With this case series we highlight the ability of a VAD to support the failing sRV, as well as to reduce PA pressures, making patients eligible for heart-only transplantation.