Abstract
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and artificial hearts are improving. These devices can prolong a patient's life while on a heart transplant list. More exciting, mechanical assistance may provide an opportunity for a damaged heart to recover some function. Still, despite the promise, the use of these devices raises some difficult cost-benefit and ethical questions.
MeSH terms
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Female
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Heart Failure / diagnosis
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Heart Failure / mortality*
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Heart Failure / therapy*
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Heart, Artificial / statistics & numerical data*
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Heart-Assist Devices / statistics & numerical data*
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Humans
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Male
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Patient Selection
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Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
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Risk Assessment
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Sensitivity and Specificity
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Severity of Illness Index
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Survival Rate
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Treatment Outcome
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Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / diagnosis
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Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / mortality*
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Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / therapy*