Abstract
Emergency bridge to heart transplantation was applied for four patients with acute irreversible cardiac failure at Stanford University. All patients had cardiogenic shock and/or fatal ventricular arrhythmia refractory to intensive medical therapy and intraaortic balloon pumping. Bridge duration of the Novacor LVAS was 26-62(mean 41.3) days. Coagulopathy, infection of LVAD pocket, leg ischemia and multiple organ insufficiency occurred as complications of mechanical circulatory support. These four patients were successfully bridged to cardiac transplantation. All patients were discharged three or four weeks after transplantation and doing well in the postoperative 2-27 months. We conclude that emergency bridge to heart transplantation can be a surgical treatment of choice for acute irreversible cardiac failure.
