[Skip to Navigation]
Invited Commentary
February 2018

The Renal Challenge With Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy—When Enough Is Enough

Author Affiliations
  • 1Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
  • 2Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
  • 3Division of Cardiac Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(2):210-211. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.5109

Nearly 2 decades after the seminal REMATCH trial1 first demonstrated a marginal survival benefit in transplant-ineligible patients treated with an implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD), contemporary 1-year LVAD survival exceeds 80%. With improved outcomes and quality of life, LVAD use has proliferated, with more than 15 000 implantations since 2006 and an annual implantation rate exceeding 2000 per year across an ever-growing number of implanting centers.1,2 While most current LVADs are implanted as a bridge to cardiac transplantation, an increasing proportion of patients with end-stage heart failure are consenting to indefinite mechanical circulatory support (MCS) therapy. With an increasing prevalence of advanced heart failure in an aging population, this trend is expected to continue.

Add or change institution
×