Myocardial recovery in left ventricular assist device patients is a rare opportunity to explant the assist device. Despite myocardial recovery, these patients remain high-risk candidates. Short, effective procedures are the key to successful left ventricular assist device explantation. Conventional methods such as ventriculoplasty are extensive and challenging procedures. Thus, an explantation tool was developed in order to simplify HeartMate 3 (Abbott Cooperation, Abbott Park, Ill, USA) explantation. A customized metal plug was designed to fit into the HeartMate 3-sewing ring. We now report the successful first-in-man use of this novel plug for HeartMate 3 explantation.
Keywords: HeartMate 3; Left ventricular assist device; Left ventricular assist device explantation; Myocardial recovery; Plug.
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.