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Advanced systolic heart failure (HF) is generally progressive and is associated with extremely high mortality rates. Left-ventricular assist devices (LVADs), which mechanically unload the left ventricle, can result in reverse LV remodeling and improve functional capacity. However, mortality rates in clinical LVAD trials remain high, and relatively few LVAD recipients proceed to successful LVAD explantation.
In a single-center, nonrandomized study funded partly by an LVAD manufacturer, researchers in Britain assessed outcomes with LVAD therapy as a platform for multidrug HF treatment. They enrolled 24 patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy and advanced systolic HF that was unresponsive to intensive medical therapy including inotropes. The s…