Left ventricular assist for pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy using the Medos VAD cannula and a centrifugal pump.

Ventricular assist devices for small pediatric patients are expensive and commercially unavailable in Taiwan. We used the Medos ventricular assist device cannula (Medos, Aachen, Germany) and a centrifugal pump to support pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and decompensated heart failure. From January 2007 to December 2008, three pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy were supported using a centrifugal pump as the left ventricular assist device. The Medos arterial cannula was sutured to the ascending aorta, and the Apex cannula was fixed into the left ventricular apex. When the patient was weaned off of cardiopulmonary bypass, the left ventricular assist device pump was started. The pump flow was gradually titrated according to the filling status of the left ventricle. All the left ventricular assist devices were successfully implanted and functioned well. Two patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation had severe lung edema before left ventricular assist device implantation. Both patients required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the postoperative period until the pulmonary edema was resolved. Among the three patients, two successfully bridged to heart transplantation after support for 6 and 11 days, respectively. The first patient (10 kg) expired due to systemic emboli 30 days after left ventricular assist device support. In summary, these results suggest that the Medos ventricular assist device cannula and a centrifugal pump is an option for temporary left ventricular assist device support in patients with intractable heart failure and as a bridge to heart transplantation.