Ventricular Assist Device

Heart failure is the most common reason for hospitalization in the United States, and a chronic condition that will progressively worsen if not treated.  In the past, ventricular assist devices were only used as a temporary bridge therapy until a patient received a heart transplant.  However, these devices are improving to a degree that they can potentially be used as destination therapy – a “spare heart”.  Together with clinicians, this group is aiming to create a new device that facilitates the positioning of the ventricular assist device and operates the system in a novel fashion that aims to make the assist device more sustainable in long-term treatment of heart failure.

Clinical collaborator: Dr. Derlis Martino, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Baptist Health, and Arkansas Heart Hospital, Little Rock, AR