Early Single Institutional Experience of Berlin Heart EXCOR® Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device in Japan

Background:Since August 2015, the pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD), Berlin Heart EXCOR®, has been accepted for use in Japan.Methods and Results:Between August 2015 and July 2016, 4 pediatric patients with endstage heart failure underwent LVAD implantation with the EXCOR®device. The median age and body weight at operation were 8 months and 4.8 kg. During a median follow-up of 7.3 months (range, 5.0–10.3), all patients survived. Two patients went on to heart transplantation and the remaining 2 are on a waiting list with stable hemodynamics.Conclusions:The early outcomes of the Berlin Heart EXCOR®pediatric VAD were satisfactory. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2552–2554)