Implantable VAD Treatment as Out Patient

Abstract

Implantable VAD treatment has already been provided to more than 1,500 patients, and the results are extremely good. However, the frequency of cases with a period of less than one year until the first readmission is as high as 60% or more. Even though, their complications can be fatal, it is believed that early response is the reason why the survival rate is better than the incidence. To overcome this, several biomedical engineering approaches are being reported. One of them is "transcutaneous energy transfer" that eliminates the skin penetration of the drive cable, which is the gateway to infection and has already started clinical use overseas. The other is "remote monitoring" which aims to quickly detect and respond to abnormalities in pumps and patients by the new communication environment, AI, etc. It is expected that medical engineering will continue to play a major role in home VAD treatment.