August 29, 2007 (Insidermedicine) Patients who are awaiting heart transplant surgery may be able  to buy time with  an artificial  pump to  keep their  heart beating,  say experts in a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

This is what  we know  about artificial heart  pump devices:  Each year, about 56,000  Americans could benefit  from a heart  transplant. However, because of the  shortage of donated  hearts, many people  who need a  heart transplant  die  while waiting  for  one Some  of  these candidates could potentially benefit from having the artificial  pump, also known as a left ventricular assist device, implanted that assists the work of the  persons own failing heart,  helping buy time until  a donor heart is  available The  first ventricular  assist devices  were
developed  25   years   ago,  and   were   heavy  and   bulky.   Newer continuous-flow pumps  are being  developed,  and are  more  reliable, quieter, and  smaller,  and  can  potentially be  used  on  women  and teenagers

In the present study, researchers  studied just over 130  patients with end-stage heart failure who were awaiting heart  transplantation. The patients had a continuous-flow  pump implanted in their chest  and were assessed for quality of life and exercise endurance at the  start
of the study, and one, three, and six months thereafter.

The survival rate during support was 75% at six months and 68%  at one year. Most patients experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life and exercise endurance at three months, however  there were some complications associated with the use of the continuous-flow pump, including bleeding after surgery, stroke, and infection.  

If you are on the waiting list for a heart transplant, you  should discuss with your  doctor your  eligibility for  implantation with  an artificial  continuous-flow  pump.  Clinical  trials  in  the  US  are on-going, and the preliminary results look promising.

Reporting for Insidermedicine In Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.