Purpose: Less invasive left ventricular assist device implantation became feasible with the development of smaller devices. This study evaluated a sutureless aortic anastomosis device to facilitate the implant procedure.
Description: The novel anastomotic device deploys and anchors an acute-angled stent in the aortic wall to create a sutureless outflow graft anastomosis in the ascending aorta. Four aortic anastomoses were performed on the beating hearts of two pigs without cross-clamping or cardiopulmonary bypass.
Evaluation: The procedure was fast and simple. The time of anastomosis averaged 8.1 minutes, with merely oral instructions to the operating surgeon. The design of the stent allowed the outflow graft to be implanted with the intended angulation of 45 degrees.
Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the feasibility and short-term success of the proposed sutureless anastomotic device. Further preclinical studies are necessary to evaluate long-term durability of the anastomosis.
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