Ventricular assist device implantation in adults with a systemic right ventricle - A single center experience and review of the literature

Patients with a systemic right ventricle (sRV) have a high risk of developing heart failure (HF), with heart transplantation as the only long-term treatment option. Unfortunately, more than half of sRV patients have pulmonary hypertension (PH) which may impact the decision to opt for heart-only transplantation. Moreover, an increased scarcity of donor hearts prolongs time to transplantation, increasing the probability of dying on the waiting list. Hence, for selected sRV patients, a ventricular assist device (VAD) could provide a solution to bridge the time to transplantation. This case series aimed at evaluating all patients with a sRV who received a VAD at our institution, with a focus on technical aspects of VAD implantation and invasive hemodynamics prior to VAD implantation and after heart transplantation.