Left Ventricular Assist Device – A Bridge to Life

Heart failure is a common disease, the incidence of which increases with age.Due to the increase in life expectancy, the incidence of heart failure is increasing and is expected to increase over the next few years. Among patients with HF, there is a group of patients who suffer from such a severe degree of heart failure, whose life expectancy is very short and the preferred solution for them is a heart transplantation. In the light of the current reality, in which the amount of heart donations each year is small, it is clear that this solution does not meet the need. One of the common solutions for patients who deteriorate in terms of heart function while waiting for a transplant is to connect them to an artificial pump that supports the left ventricle of the heart LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device).

A shortage of donor organs combined with the efficacy of mechanical circulatory support has resulted in the expanding application of LVAD to bridge patients to heart transplantation or to destination therapy. Is physical training, similar to heart failure patients, also recommended for this group of patients?