[Circulatory assistance, an alternative to heart transplantation]

Abstract

Circulatory assistance is developing as a treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. There are two alternative devices: a univentricular circulatory assist pump, or a total artificial heart. It is used to bridge the time to transplantation and, increasingly, as a definitive alternative to a heart transplant.

Keywords: artificial heart; assistance circulatoire; circulatory assistance; cœur artificiel; end-stage heart failure; heart transplant; insuffisance cardiaque terminale; transplantation cardiaque.