Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support: Introduction and Schneider's Experience.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular assist devices (VADs) play a critical and increasing role in treating end-stage heart failure in pediatric patients. A growing number of patients are supported by VADs as a bridge to heart transplantation. Experience with VADs in the pediatric population is limited, and experience in Israel has not been published. OBJECTIVES: To describe this life-saving technology and our experience with VAD implantation in children with heart failure, including characteristics and outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent VAD implantation at Schneider Children's Medical Center from 2018 to 2023. RESULTS: We analyzed results of 15 children who underwent VAD implantation. The youngest was 2.5 years old and weighed 11 kg at implantation. In eight patients, HeartMate 3, a continuous-flow device, was implanted. Seven patients received Berlin Heart, a pulsatile-flow device. Three children required biventricular support; 11 underwent heart transplants after a median duration of 169 days. Two patients died due to complications while awaiting a transplant; two were still on VAD support at the time of submission of this article. Successful VAD support was achieved in 86.6% of patients. In the last 5 years,79% of our heart transplant patients received VAD support prior to transplant. CONCLUSIONS: Circulatory assist devices are an excellent bridge to transplantation for pediatric patients reaching end-stage heart failure. VADs should be carefully selected, and implantation techniques tailored to patient's weight and diagnosis at a centralized pediatric cardiac transplantation center. Israeli healthcare providers should be cognizant of this therapeutic alternative.

Stress Echocardiographic Evaluation for D-Transposition of the Great Arteries after Atrial Redirection: Unmasking Early Signs of Myocardial Dysfunction and Baffle Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The authors used semisupine cycle ergometry stress echocardiography to assess cardiac function and unmask baffle stenosis in patients with d-transposition of the great arteries after atrial redirection surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of semisupine cycle ergometry stress echocardiography performed in 53 patients (64% male; mean age, 24.0 years; 90% Mustard procedure) and 56 healthy control subjects. Incremental exercise to volitional fatigue was performed. Hemodynamic data, echocardiographic cardiac dimensions, area change, tissue Doppler velocities, strain, ventricular synchronization, and superior vena cava flow velocities before and immediately after exercise are reported. RESULTS: Patients had lower exercise capacity (870 vs 1,854 J/kg, P < .001) and peak heart rates (132 vs 167 beats/min, P < .001). Stroke volume index did not increase with exercise (45 vs 47 mL/m2, P = .400). Cardiac index increased in both groups with exercise (3.0 vs 6.1 and 2.9 vs 7.0 L/min/m2, P < .001) and was higher in control subjects (P = .006). Right ventricular diastolic and systolic areas decreased significantly with exercise in both the short-axis and four-chamber views. Right and left ventricular contraction time shortened with exercise (405 vs 247 and 338 vs 217 msec, P < .001) and remained synchronous (ratio of right ventricular to left ventricular contraction time = 0.080). Doppler velocities in patients with baffle obstruction were higher in the lower superior vena cava with exercise compared with nonobstructed patients (1.87 vs 1.46 m/sec, P = .020) and normalized after catheter intervention (1.49 vs 1.46 m/sec, P = .800). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with d-transposition of the great arteries have lower exercise capacity and peak heart rates. The systemic right ventricle presents a lesser but qualitatively normal systolic response and decreased diastolic filling. Semisupine cycle ergometry stress echocardiography unmasked SVC obstruction.