The HeartMate 6 and CardioMEMS for Fixed Pulmonary Hypertension

Philipp Angleitner; Thomas Schlöglhofer; Dominik Wiedemann; Julia Riebandt; Andreas Strassl; Julia Mascherbauer; Matthias Kainz; Günther Laufer; Andreas Zuckermann; Daniel Zimpfer

doi:10.1097/MAT.0000000000001480

The HeartMate 6 and CardioMEMS for Fixed Pulmonary Hypertension

ASAIO J. 2022 May 1;68(5):e80-e83. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001480. Epub 2021 May 8.

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
² Division of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
³ Department of Internal Medicine 3, University Hospital St. Pölten.
⁴ Division of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

PMID: 33989210
DOI: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001480

Abstract

Fixed pulmonary hypertension (FPH) is a contraindication for heart transplantation (HTX). However, this condition might be reversed by continuous left-ventricular unloading with a left-ventricular assist device. We present a case of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with extensive left-ventricular endocardial calcification and severe FPH (systolic pulmonary artery pressure, 102 mm Hg). To bridge the patient to candidacy for HTX, two Abbott HeartMate 3 ventricular assist devices were implanted in a total artificial heart (TAH) configuration ("HeartMate 6"). Before TAH implantation, an Abbott CardioMEMS pressure sensor was implanted to assess reversal of FPH before listing for HTX.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Heart Failure* / complications
Heart Failure* / surgery
Heart Transplantation*
Heart Ventricles
Heart, Artificial*
Heart-Assist Devices*
Humans
Hypertension, Pulmonary* / surgery