Apr 12 2024International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Mandeep R. Mehra, MD, FRCP described the cutting-edge heart pump and other advances in mechanical circulatory support today at the Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation in Prague.
MCS devices are temporarily or permanently implanted in patients with advanced heart failure to keep the heart pumping enough blood. Dr. Mehra likened the generational shifts in MCS devices to the evolution of automobile technology. "These devices need a power line that exits through the patient's abdomen and connects to external batteries," he said. "So while patients with this pump live longer and have greater functional capacity, they are tethered to a battery."
"At this point in time, MCS devices are much more forgiving," he said. "But we need to move to an era where they become forgettable."